Karnataka - Mysore   

Details of new wage board on January 20

By Our Staff Correspondent

MYSORE, JAN. 8. The Deputy Chief Minister, Siddaramaiah, who also holds the Finance portfolio, today said that constitution of a new wage board for State Government employees, its head, terms of reference and other details would be announced by the Governor, T.N. Chaturvedi, in his address to the joint session of the State Legislature on January 20.

Participating in a State-level convention of Karnataka State Government Workers' Federation, a splinter group of Karnataka State Government Employees Association, headed by K. Sippe Gowda, Mr. Siddaramaiah said that he originally contemplated constituting a new wage board for State Government employees in 2008.

But the pressure brought on the coalition Government by a section of the employees, who threatened to go to on a strike, forced the State Cabinet to take a decision on the early constitution of a Pay Commission.

In this context, he referred to the assurance given by the former Chief Minister S.M. Krishna at the Karnataka State Government Employees Association's State-level convention held in Mandya some time back. "But, it was a Cabinet decision and it is the Government's collective responsibility to go ahead with it," he said.

Significantly, the Karnataka State Government Workers' Federation, whose convention Mr Siddaramaiah inaugurated today, too is not in favour of a new Pay Commission. Instead, the Federation has been pressing for merger of 50 per cent of the Dearness Allowance with the basic pay.

Revenue mobilisation

Mr. Siddaramaiah emphasised the need to improve revenue mobilisation by the State Government if more allocation is to be made for developmental activities. "An estimated 70 per cent of the Government's revenue is used for non-plan expenditure, which includes payment of salaries to the Government employees." He apprehended that the State Government would end up in a debt-trap if revenue mobilisation suffers.

Mr. Siddaramaiah regretted that corruption had vitiated the body politic and official machinery in society. "Greasing of palms to get the work done has become the order of the day. The political system of the country too has been caught in the trap," he said.

He urged the Government employees to empathise with the aspiration of the people, particularly the poor and downtrodden. He lashed out at IAS officers for their failure to understand the ground realities. Most of the Government programmes have gone awry because of the senior bureaucracy's failure to understand the ground realities, Mr. Siddaramaiah said.

The Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, H.S. Mahadev Prasad, and the federation's office bearers were also present on the occasion.

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