STATE TIMES NEWS
JAMMU: Senior Vice President JKPCC and former Minister Sham Lal Sharma on Friday took a strong exception over the proposed pay hike of legislators and ministers. He said that instead of enhancing the pay hike ,the government should have paid attention towards the people who were facing miseries nowadays.
In a statement, Sham said that salaries of legislators in Jammu and Kashmir was Rs 17,000 in 2002, Rs 40,000 in 2006 and were raised more than double in 2009. Now it’s Rs 1,60,000 where as the pension of widows, orphans, physically challenged and old age people is meager Rs 200 only. “The BJP-PDP Government promised this poor section of society to enhance its pension to Rs 1,000 but surprisingly gave preference to the lawmakers and heads of various ministries for the reasons best known to the helmsmen of Achhe Din Waali Sarkar”, he said.
He also expressed anguish over non regularisation of daily wagers and casual labourers in the State. “So much so they aren’t being paid wages for long time thus increasing their problems manifold”, he said.
“Neglecting the woes of daily wagers, the government’s move of hiking salaries of legislators is like rubbing salt on wounds”, he said adding that similar is the suffering of farmers, who despite tall promises of BJP-PDP combine have not provided with any benefit whether it is waiving of 50 per cent loan through Kissan Credit cards or other issues.
Sham said that the teachers appointed under Sarv Shiksha Abhiyan were also deprived of salaries due to courtesy of insensitive BJP-PDP coalition. Sham questioned State Government as to when they are going to implement 7th Pay Commission for the State employees as ministers and legislators have enhanced their pay double to what they were getting earlier. He said Government should have considered hike in their pay rather than giving an undue bounty to legislators or ministers.
“Even central dispensation headed by BJP has not fulfilled its promises on black money, joblessness, inflation, etc”, he pointed out.
