‘Can’t demand pay similar to Centre while working for state govt; structures are different’

Kolkata: Taking on a section of state government employees who are staging demonstrations demanding DA hike, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said the “state’s financial structure is not similar to that of the Central government and said that while working for the state government one cannot demand pay according to the Centre”.

“The Bengal government has been implementing the 6th pay commission’s recommendation,” Banerjee stated.

She was addressing a programme organised by the Alipore Bar council to commemorate 150th birth anniversary of Rishi Aurobindo Ghosh. She once again reminded that the Bengal government has some limitations as the Centre is not clearing its dues.

“Centre’s financial structure is different. They have the Reserve Bank of India. State does not enjoy so much financial freedom. We used to collect our own tax earlier but they have now come under one head in the name of GST collection. The Centre is not giving our taxes as they had earlier promised. People are not getting money under 100 day work projects. State has a due of Rs 7,000 crore from the Centre,” Banerjee asserted.

She further mentioned that during the erstwhile Left Front regime, the state government employees did not properly get pension.

“There was a huge debt when we came to power. We have repaid the debts to a great extent. We are running a host of social and development schemes which include Swasthya Sathi, Lakshmir Bhandar. What more can we do? If we have the capacity, we will surely hike the DA. CPIM used to give 33 per cent while we have taken the figure up to 106 per cent. We run a humanitarian government yet we receive so much criticism. I would urge you to please don’t bring a bad name to our government,” Banerjee stated further.

One should not forget that the state government is run on the basis of its financial structure. The works of the Centre and the state are completely different. Centre run schools and state run schools are not the same.

CM also said that her government has given land to the Calcutta High Court at free of cost for setting up its new complex in Rajarhat. The state has set up a circuit bench in Jalpaiguri, she reminded. She also said the development of Alipore court would take place in a phased manner.

Speaker Biman Bandyopadhyay who is also a renowned lawyer, Justice Subrata Talukdar, Law minister Moloy Ghatak, Secretary of Alipore Bar Council Sudip Bhowmick were also present at Tuesday’s programme.

Ruling Trinamool Congress tweeted: “May there be courage in our hearts. May we always walk the path of honesty. To commemorate Rishi Aurobindo on the 150th year of his birth anniversary, our Hon’ble CM Smt. @MamataOfficial laid wreaths in his honor and garlanded the bust at the Alipore Bar Association.”