Congress warns govt on pay commission report
Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee president, Ajay Maken, on Sunday said the Congress party will strongly oppose if the 125 percent increase in DA (Dearness Allowance), which will be due on 1 January, 2016,
is not merged with the basic pay when the Central government implements
the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission for Government employees.
Maken said
while the 7th Pay Commission has increased the salaries of higher grade
officers by many folds, there will be no benefit for middle and lower
level employees.
Maken said
injustice was being done to the Central government employees, and the
Congress will fight safeguard their interest. He said the Union
government should protect the interests of the country and its people.
"The Congress party is with the Government employees in this matter",
Maken asserted.
Addressing two
meetings to discuss the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission at
Sadiq Nagar and R K Puram today, Maken said the Congress party will
spare no effort to protect the interests of the Government employees,
who are its "eyes, ears and brains", inside and outside Parliament.
He said it was
necessary to give a good deal to the Government employees to attract the
best brains to Government service, as the government needs the services
of the brightest, who come through tough competitions, for the best
interest of the nation.
He said it was
necessary to have the best brains in the government to ensure that in
these days of globalisation, the multi-national companies do not push
their way in and put such clauses, conditions and demands that would be
detrimental to the interest of the nation and its people.
Meanwhile,
reiterating his party's commitment to a strong Lokpal, Maken extended
support to the move to bring DDA and Delhi Police, which are controlled
by the Centre, under the purview of Delhi Lokayukta.
“As long as
this applies to public functionaries of departments of Delhi government,
DDA, MCD, NDMC, Delhi Police, and the Members of Parliament from Delhi
and Union and state ministers from Delhi pertaining to their actions
concerning people of Delhi, this provision in my opinion should be
allowed,” Maken said.
The Congress
leader, however, clarified that in the absence of any officially
circulated draft, he would like to reserve his final comments on
procedure and on other aspects of the Bill, till it is tabled in the
Assembly on Monday.
The draft
Janlokpal Bill, approved by the Delhi Cabinet, mandates the Lokayukta to
look into complaints of corruption in MCD, DDA and Delhi Police.
This move has
drawn flak from various quarters, including former AAP leader Prashant
Bhushan who said it has been done to “provoke” the Centre.
Maken said his
party had earlier also stated that under no circumstances it would
support the dilution of the Janlokpal Bill as introduced by the AAP
Government on February 13, 2014, in Delhi Assembly.
“Delhi
Lokayukta should be allowed to look into acts of corruption directly
impacting people of Delhi through the actions of MCD, DDA and Delhi
Police also. The Congress party would again like to re-iterate its
commitment for a strong Lokpal in Delhi,” he said.
“We believe in action and not just rhetoric. Delhi Government has wasted
precious 10 months and we hope it would now fulfil its very important
pre-poll promise by enacting a strong Jan Lokpal,” Maken said in a press
statement.
