Now Bihar employees agitate

Battle over BPL list continues between Centre, Bihar

Patna,(BiharTimes): With the addition of approximately 13.5 lakh new BPL families since 2007 the number of families living below the poverty line in the state has crossed 1.25 crore.
It is on the basis of this latest figure that the Nitish government is planning to claim more fund and foodgrains from the Centre for implementing various welfare schemes for the BPL families.
This is going to spark off a long-drawn battle between the Centre and the Bihar government.
The Centre recognizes only 66.32 lakhs below the poverty line families, with a provision to include 10 per cent more BPL families, impoverished suddenly due to a variety of reason.
As per a suvery undertaken by the government in 2007 the number of BPL families in the state was nearly 1.21 crore.
However, there was much hue and cry over the preparation of the BPL list. The opposition parties and media alleged that a large number of genuine poor have been ignored while well off have been included in the list. The state government too had invited claims and objections for addition and deletion to the BPL list. More than 60 lakh people submitted petition either objecting to certain names or praying for inclusion of genuine names that were left out.
Nearly two lakhs names were deleted and more than 15 lakhs included after verification of the BPL list. The government rectified the irregularities during 2008-09.

Bonanza for Bihar's 500,000 government employees

Patna, Dec 29 : (IANS)The Bihar government Tuesday announced a bonanza for its 500,000 employees by deciding to adopt the pay-scales recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission.
The decision was taken at meeting of the state cabinet, presided over by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, at the famous tourist spot Rajgir, about 100 km from here, officials said.

"The state cabinet approved giving the Sixth Pay Commission pay-scale to government employees," they said
The arrears will be paid effective from April 1, 2007.

The meeting also approved a Rs.77.67 crore drainage scheme for Rajgir.

It was for the first time that the state cabinet held its meeting at Rajgir.

"The state cabinet meeting was held at the convention centre of the Shanti Stupa atop Gidhakuta Hills in Rajgir amid tight security," an official in the chief minister's office said here.

Rajgir is the home district of Nitish Kumar. In the last four years, he has announced various development projects in the district.

In February this year, Nitish Kumar held a cabinet meeting in Barbighee village of Begusarai district.

Govt temployees to rally against new pay offer on Jan 7

Patna,(BiharTimes): Various Non-Gazetted Employees union have decided to stage protest rally on January 7 against what they alleged arbitrary implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission by the state government. The Nitish cabinet on Tuesday took a decision in this regard at Rajgir in Nalanda district.
They charged that the chief minister, Nitish Kumar, has cheated them by showing to the world that he had implemented the Sixth Pay Commission
The general secretary of the Bihar Secretariat Service Association, Anil Kumar Singh, said the state government’s recommendations are arbitrary and was hardly at par with scales and perks that central government employees were entitled to.
According to him the Centre pays its employees a uniform 10 per cent housing allowance whereas the state government has split this into 7.5 per cent for unclassified towns and five per cent for employees posted in rural areas. No provision has been made for the education of the children of the employees.
He said that only the employees posted in Patna would be eligible.As for transport allowances which has been raised from Rs 400 to 1,000. The Rs 200 per month medical allowance is a cruel joke as the Centre meets all medical expenses of its employees, he added.
He pointed that the Pay Committee had recommended accelerated service promotion benefits for its employees from September 2008 but the state government has decided to implement it from January 2009. Not only that the state government have decided to withhold arrears of its employees from January 1, 2006 to March 31, 2007, he said.
The Mechanical Engineering Service Association’s B B Sao and Shivendra Sharma said if at all pay scale had to be revised it should have been done in uniform manner. The pay scale of most Pay Band IV government employees have been revised from the existing Rs 14,300-18,300 to Rs 37,400-67,000, except those of the engineering services.
Only those in the superintending engineer rank have had their Pay-Bands upgraded to the next band when these were already in the pay scale of Rs 37,400-67,000.

In the 60s, when we were in school, the population of India was 40 crores.
Present estimates state that population has increased to 120 crores, i.e 80 crores in 4 decades. So we can safely say that every decade our population increases 25%.
Bihar is the third most populated state of India with total population of 82998509 as per 2001 census. As per above estimate we can safely say that it is now 10,37,48,136.
Of the above figure we have 500000, i.e 0.48% and 12.05% fall in the BPL.
Who falls under BPL.
Those earning less than Rs 25000/- per annum.
And government employees?
Class IV (Lowest grade) will be earn minimum Rs 37400/- per month, i e only 18 times the earnings of a BPL family.
And every 5 years the inequity increases with the Pay Commission Awards.
It is surprising that in spite of being given so much, these employees should agitate.
This is the state of affairs for all state and central government employees.
I think it is about time that a moratorium is declared on all future Pay Commission Awards.