Announcing a three per cent hike in dearness allowance for government employees from next month, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Thursday that the state fund for its employees would never dry up, even if it owed Rs 85,000 crore from the central government.
Banerjee addressed the Trinamool Congress-affiliated government employees’ organization at the state secretariat, stating that the Center of Bengal has dues in various items including UGC grants, GST, and the fight against Covid-19.
She said, “We are not getting financial arrears. There is an outstanding of about eight thousand crores in the head of GST. Despite the financial crisis, we have met the recommendations of all the previous Pay Commissions. We will also give 3% dearness allowance from January 2021. ”
Banerjee said that this would put a burden of Rs 2200 crore on the state exchequer. She said, “The Center has not paid the dues of more than 85 thousand crore rupees but this cannot prevent us from giving the people their dues.”
The Chief Minister said that 9.5 lakh students of 14 thousand higher secondary schools and 636 madrasas will be given free tablets for their online classes. She said that the state has ensured the system of RT-PCR check at the rate of Rs 950.
(Source:jansatta.com)
Ms Kalinga