Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, February 25, 2010:
The 13th Finance Commission has finalized financial award of Manipur and fixed it at Rs 12,000 crore against the state�s proposal of Rs 21,000 crore, leaving the state government into financial chaos as it was totally against the government's expectation.
As the government had already issued orders regarding the payment of the revised sixth pay bands to its employees, the government is now apprehensive of facing a deficit of Rs 3 crore per month in paying the sixth pay bands.
The matter was prominently discussed at the State Cabinet meeting held today at the conference hall of the Chief Minister�s secretariat under the chair of the Chief Minister, O Ibobi.
The fixation of financial grant in-aid award for five years plan of the state by the 13th Finance Commission at 50% less than the state�s proposal was intimated to the state government through a message today, said a senior cabinet minister of the SPF government after the Cabinet meeting.
The state financial award of the Finance Commission was finalized after the Parliament approved and passed the recommendations of the 13th Finance Commission tabled in the Lok Sabha.
The cabinet discussed the problems to be faced by the state after the revised sixth pay bands are given to the employees from coming April in the backdrop of employees demand for payment of the same with TA and DA effective from January 2006. After a thorough discussion on the matter, the Cabinet decided to press the Centre and the 13th Finance Commission for a fresh proposal on hiking the financial award to the state, the senior minister added.
The cabinet also discussed the appointment of a security advisor to the state government following instruction from the Centre to the North Eastern states to appoint the same in their respective states.
The cabinet approved in principle the appointment of the security advisor, but after a decision with regard to the status of the security advisor to be appointed and his relation with the state DGP in functioning is taken later.
Upgradation of the Jessami High School upto the higher secondary level, a proposal of the State Education (S) department to fulfill the long cherished dream of the people of the border villages with Nagaland, reservation of seats for the Muslims in the recruitment of government jobs and technical studies as government nominees, re-designation of post of the food inspectors of the state health services as state food safety officer and filling up of vacant posts and appointment of grade-IV posts in the state medical department by relaxing ban on the direct recruitment were also discussed and approved, the minister said adding that revision of the stipends provided to the students of Sainik School, Imphal by the state government was also discussed and approved.