AGARTALA, July 15 (TIWN): With the announcement of 'release of 4% DA' Manik Sarkar led CPI-M Govt has made its intention once again clear that it will continue to deprive the State Govt employees and Govt pensioners as far as their financial demands are concerned. On Thursday, state Gov't released 4% DA to its employees and pensioners reducing the gap of DA to 42% in compare to Central Gov't employees. Thus, CM Manik Sarkar & Co also made it clear that the declaration to bring down the gap of DA between the Centre and state to zero in few installments and that too claims made by the Honest(?) Chief Minister himself was nothing but a deliberate lie in order to be-fool the employees and pensioners. With Thursday's declaration, CPI-M party has simply chosen the way of playing a dual role about the Govt employees demands and rights. CPI-M leaders Sitaram Yechury and Suryakant Mishra were prompt to criticize Central Govt and Bengal Govt on DA issues but failed to criticize their own CPI-M Govt in Tripura for the lowest 4% DA depriving State Govt Employees. CPI-M's cunning face once again exposed by this massive deprivation of Govt Employees.

CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury criticized the Central Govt soon after the announcement of 7th CPC implementation saying   " Usually and even now the suspicion is that higher ranking bureaucrats and officers have gained more than the ones who are not so high ranking. That is patently unfair. We will study that,”.  Sitaram also added  that the Monsoon Session of Parliament will see the issue being debated. Even CPI-M Polit Buru in its statement termed the proposals of 7th CPC as 'deprivation of employees' rights '.

Another important leader of CPI-M Polit Buro Surjya Kanta Mishra too came out heavily on Mamata Banerjee led TMC Govt in West Bengal regarding employees deprivation. Reacting to 7^th CPC in his Twitter account Mishra said ," 7th CPC announced by the Central Govt. The difference in DA for state gov't employees( West Bengal) in 50%+. The state gov't instead of acting has chosen to be silent. (Twitter handle above ).

Interestingly neither Sitaram nor Surhya Kanta not even a single leader of the CPI-M party has come out to speak in favour of the state gov't employees' deprivation in Tripura, where CPI-M is ruling since 1993. The employees in Tripura are now having the lowest pay structure in the country. Even at present they are getting 42% less compare to Central Govt's DA .

The 14th Finance Commission has allocated a total budget of 31308.76 crore for Tripura. Out of which  fund for Salary and Wages is   6463.47 crore and fund for Pension Benefit is  837.75 crore.

Meanwhile in West Bengal Mamata Banerjee led TMC gov't has already announced 10% hike in the existing pay band of state gov't employees as an Interim Relief(IR)  to the implementation of 7th CPC.

 But in Tripura the state gov't is not only unwilling to declare IR but also not interested to release the pending DA.

From Wednesday  speculations over a major DA sanction were high among the employees of state secretariat. Even CPI-M employees' wing H B Road leaders had been campaigning that state gov't would at least release 'double digit ' DA to the employees w.e.f. 1st July. But   the state cabinet on Thursday granted merely 4% dearness allowance (DA) for its employees and pensioners, leaving the existing gap of 42% in terms of DA receipt with officials and employees of  the Central Gov't .( Centre's DA is 125% at present.)

A highly placed  Offcial source in the state  Finnance Department told TIWN,"  At around 11am  a formal proposal for granting a minimum of 5% DA was drafted and sent to the Cabinet by the Finance department officials but in the cabinet meeting the instalment was reduced to only 4%. The contingent, DRW and fixed pay employees will be given hikes at fixed rates which was mentioned in the Finance Department's official order.

The official said that there was no discussion in the cabinet meeting over the recent high court order on payment of 31% of outstanding DA in three instalments within next one year.

A highly placed TIWN sources added that Manik Sarkar's trusted Principal Secretary of Finance GSG Ayyangar was present in the meeting with members of the cabinet but the matter of implications of the 7th central pay commission was not even discussed.

TIWN sources in the Finance Department further adds ," The government is considering to form another Pay  Review Committee in stead of a full-fledged pay commission for effecting a pay hike for the employees and pensioners in the view of the implementation of 7th central pay commission's recommendations by Centre; the committee is likely to be  announced soon."

It is to be mentioned here that 23 state governments have already announced that they would adopt and implement  the 7th central pay commission's recommendations for their employees and officers in stead of constituting their own pay commission to avoid any delay in implementing pay increases of employees.

At present it is most unlikely that state gov't would announce the release  of 42% outstanding DA of the state's employees and officers.

It is learnt that the increase in pay band  would be implemented on the basis of recommendations of the Pay Review Committee to be constituted soon.

While the Finance Minister Bhanulal Saha justified the state govt's decision citing resource constraints, the ruling party's employees wing is sure to congratulate the state gov't for releasing 4% DA . But HB Road leaders are sure to remain dumb in the matter of deprivation being imposed upon the employees and pensioners caused by  the government's decision .