J & K likely to enhance 7% D.A. soon

To pacify agitating employees, the state government is likely to hike Dearness Allowance (DA) for its employees by 7 per cent. The formal announcement of the DA hike is likely be made in the next Cabinet meeting, where the proposal is to be placed for approval.

Highly placed sources said the Finance Ministry had finalised the proposal for enhancing the DA for the employees by 7 per cent. As the approval of the Cabinet is a must for the hike, the proposal would be discussed in the next meeting, which is likely to be held very soon. More than 4.50 lakh government employees will benefit from the hike.

The Central government had hiked DA for its employees on September 25 this year and since then the state government employees have also been demanding enhancement of the DA.

As the state Cabinet had given its consent for 100 per cent hike in the allowances of legislators, the agitating government employees are criticising the ruling coalition for serving the interests of only the political class.

“On the one hand the state government wants to justify its decision to hike the allowances of legislators, while on the other the coalition regime also wants to provide relief to its employees from the unprecedented hike in the prices of essential commodities,” a sources said, adding that the move was also aimed at placating the employees, who have already launched a stir in support of their demands.

Government employees have been demanding implementation of the agreement which was signed between the employees and representatives of the state government on July 8, 2012.

The employees’ demands include enhancement of the retirement age from 58 to 60 years, removal of pay anomalies of clerical cadre and regularisation of daily wagers of pre-1994 batch. They are also demanding increase in the house rent allowance on a par with that of Central government employees.

Meanwhile, the Cabinet Sub-Committee, which was constituted by the state government to look into the grievances of the employees, met last week. 

Source : The Tribune