Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday assured representatives of government employees’ organisations that the state government would implement the Supreme Court’s directive on pending Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears and gradually bridge the gap between the DA rates of state and Central government employees.
The assurance came during a one-hour-and-forty-minute meeting at Nabanna with representatives of various government employees’ bodies, including the Sangrami Joutha Mancha. Following the meeting, employees’ representatives expressed satisfaction over the discussions and described the talks as constructive. Speaking to reporters, Sangrami Joutha Mancha leader Bhaskar Ghosh said the Chief Minister had assured them that the Supreme Court’s order regarding DA arrears would be implemented “in letter and spirit”. According to him, the state government has agreed to clear the pending 25 per cent DA arrears in compliance with the apex court’s directive. Ghosh said the Chief Minister had instructed the Chief Secretary and Finance Secretary to begin the process of implementing the order.
However, differences remain regarding the percentage of arrears to be paid, and another round of discussions has been promised to resolve the issue. The Chief Minister also assured the employee representatives that the Seventh Pay Commission would be implemented by January next year. Discussions during the meeting also covered salary disparities among state government employees, including temporary workers. In another significant announcement, the Chief Minister reportedly assured that at least 50,000 vacant government posts would be filled by December. A detailed recruitment policy is expected to be announced by 7 June.
Ghosh further said that the Chief Minister had proposed regular meetings between the state government and employees’ organisations to ensure continuous dialogue on service-related issues.