Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today asked the personnel department to notify the Sixth Punjab Pay Commission for the employees and pensioners of the state government positively within a month.A decision to this effect was taken by the Chief Minister during a meeting with a high powered delegation of Mulazam Front Punjab led by its President and Chairman Punjab Employees Welfare Board Mr. Surinder Singh Pehalwan here at Punjab Bhawan this evening.Briefing the representatives of the delegation in the meeting, Mr. Badal asked the Chief Secretary to get the notification, for constituting the Sixth Punjab Pay Commission thereby stipulating its composition, terms and conditions, issued by the State Personnel Department within a month. He also asked the Principal Secretary Finance to provide the requisite terms of reference of the new pay commission to the personnel department within next fifteen days to ensure issuance of its notification by the stipulated time frame. The Chief Minister apprised the representatives that the commission would be mandated to submit report based on its recommendations with regard to new pay scales for the Punjab government employees and revision in the pension of its pensioners/family pensioners to the state government within a year.
Referring to the long pending demand of State employees for the implementation of Assured Career Progression (ACP) Scheme of 4-9-14, the Chief Minister said that the state government after thoroughly examining the recommendations of the three-member committee already constituted for its implementation would take a final call in this regard by March 31, 2016.Mr. Badal also directed the Chief Secretary to issue detailed instructions to all the Administrative Secretaries and Head of the Departments to ensure promotion of all eligible categories of employees by holding the meetings of departmental promotion committees in their respective departments within next two months.Conceding another demand of the state employees, the Chief Minister also announced that the balance amount of arrears on account of 6% Dearness Allowance (DA) of government employees and pensioners/family pensioners w.e.f July 1, 2015 would be released before March 31, 2016. It may be recalled that an amount of nearly Rs.400 crore was due on this count, of which Rs.200 crore was already paid by the state government and the balance would be released by the end of the current fiscal.
The Chief Minister also assured the employees’ front that the state government was already sincerely looking at all aspects to regularize the services of contractual and work charged employees working in various departments since long within the ambit of law.Expressing gratitude to the Chief Minister, all the representatives of the Punjab Mulazam Front highly appreciated Mr. Badal’s initiative to resolve the pending issues and demands of the employees on the priority. Mr. Badal also agreed to their demand to hold meeting of employees with the representatives of union once in every three months so that the genuine demands and grievances of employees could be redressed through a mutual dialogue across the table to their satisfaction. He also appealed the employees’ unions to shun the path of agitation and resolve their issues through healthy discussion in a positive manner.
Prominent amongst others who were present in the meeting included Rural Development & Panchayats Minister Mr. Sikander Singh Maluka, Chief Secretary Mr. Sarvesh Kaushal, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister Mr. SK Sandhu, Additional Chief Secretaries Home Mr. Jagpal Singh Sandhu and PWD (B&R) Mr. N.S. Kalsi, Principal Secretary Finance Mr. DP Reddy, Principal Secretary Coordination Mr. KAP Sinha, Principal Secretary Transport R. Venkatratnam, Secretary Personnel Ms. Raji P. Srivastava, Secretary Expenditure Mr. Jaspal Singh, Secretary Health Mr. Hussan Lal, Secretary Irrigation Mr. KS Pannu and Chairman Punjab State Power Corporation Ltd. Mr. KD Chaudhary.