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Shimla: Less than two
months before the assembly polls, Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister
Prem Kumar Dhumal has apparently made a contribution towards his
vote bank by announcing another poll bonanza for the state's over
300,000 'babus', or bureaucrats.
The fund-starved BJP government, reeling under an ever-swelling
wage bill, has announced the grant of grade pay scale, the highest
ever revision of basic pay scales. This announcement will come as
a Rs.500 crore burden on the state exchequer.
The chief minister made the announcement at a public rally in
Shimla earlir. He said that his government, in its 56-month
tenure, has extended financial benefits worth over Rs. 7,000 crore
to its employees.
Government officials said the grade pay scale will benefit 250,000
regular employees of different departments and 50,000 employees of
boards and corporations, most of which are loss-making.
"The employees are the backbone of the government. We have
provided record financial and promotional benefits to them despite
financial constraints," Dhumal told IANS.
The opposition Congress sees the government's pre-poll benevolence
as a drive to strengthen election prospects.
"The government is giving what was due to its employees, who have
been long deprived. Now as the polls draw near, the government
goes overboard announcing sops, schemes and bonanzas," Leader of
Opposition Vidya Stokes said.
"The people understand the timing and the motive behind the
announcements. How can they forget the government's misdeeds of
extending favours to (infrastructure group) Jaiprakash Associates
Ltd. in setting up projects and to the HPCA (Himachal Pradesh
Cricket Association)?" she asked.
The government has been accused of providing several pieces of
land to the HPCA, controlled by Dhumal's son Anurag Thakur, a BJP
MP.
Political observers believe Dhumal is going the way of the ruling
party in Punjab, which too made similar announcements before the
assembly polls.
"Punjab's Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal lured voters by
announcing granting of grade pay scale for employees. Dhumal hopes
to follow that path back to power," an observer said.
Himachal Pradesh does not have an independent pay commission to
fix pay scales of its government employees and is following Punjab
in pay fixation.
Punjab had granted grade pay scale in December last year and the
employees had been pressuring Dhumal to bring them on a par with
their counterparts in Punjab.
"With the granting of grade pay scale, every employee will get a
monthly hike from Rs.400 to Rs.1,400. It's a huge burden on the
exchequer. Under such circumstances, the government is not in a
position to meet the monthly salary and pension bills beyond
December," a finance department official said.
On Independence Day, Dhumal announced the release of seven percent
dearness allowance, which will cost Rs. 350 crore to the state
exchequer, to all state employees and pensioners, due from
January.
Himachal Pradesh's loan liability is Rs. 26,651 crore and it has
paid Rs.2,146 crore as interest on borrowings in the past one
year.
The state's loan liability till June 30 includes Rs.10,504 crore
from the open market and Rs.943 crore from the central government,
Dhumal told the assembly in a written reply Tuesday.
(Vishal Gulati can be contacted at vishal.g@ians.in)
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