Imphal, January 20 2009: MANIPUR IS all set to welcome the 14-member delegation of the 13th Finance Commission led by its chairman Dr Vijay Kelkar arriving at the state capital tomorrow.

The delegation is currently in Nagaland.

The delegation is arriving in the state on its three visit in the state, official said adding that Manipur government will submit a memorandum to the commission for award of Rs 25,0000 from 13th commission including an additional fund of Rs 4,000 crores to meet the expenditure to be incurred in the payment of Centre's revised sixth pay to its striking employees.

Apart from chairman, Dr Vijay Kelkar and his wife Lata Kelkar other members of the delegation are BK Chaturvedi, prof Atul Sarma, Dr.Sanjiv Misra members of the commission, Sumit Bose, secretary of the commission, BS Bhullar, joint secretary, Dr Rathin Roy, economic advisor of the commission and other official of the finance commission.

The delegation will arrive at Imphal from Kohima, state capital of Nagaland by helicopter at around 10 am and directly proceed to Raj Bhavan.

On the same day the delegation will conduct spot visit to various places where development works are taking up with the assistant of the Centre.

Among other, they will visit JN Hospital in Imphal east which the state government is planning to upgrade into a medical college with the Central assistant.

State chief minister O Ibobi Singh today has inspected the hospital prior to the visit of the finance panel tomorrow.

The delegation will hold meeting with the state Governor, Gurbachan Jagat on the same day of arrival and with chief minister and his council of ministers on the next day.

Another round of official level meeting under the chair of the visiting chairman is also planning on the second of their arrival.

A site seeing programme is also arranging on the third day of the stay in the capital, according to an official source.

Manipur government will submit a memorandum to the visiting 13th Finance Commission delegation which includes a proposal of award Rs.25,000 crores out of which Rs.4,000 for providing Centres' revised sixth pay structures to its employees, official said today.

Of the total Rs 25,000 crores proposal, the official added it includes Rs 4,000 crores for provision of 6th pay commission to its employees who are currently on cease-work strike.

The preparation of the memorandum has been finalized, the source said.

It is worth mentioning that with regard to the implementation of the pay structures recommended by the Sixth Pay Commission, employees of the Manipur government under the banner of the Joint Administrative Council (JAC) have been on cease-work strike since the last around two month.

The strike entered 55 days Tuesday but there is no sign of ending the same as both the government and striking employees remaining stick to their stands and no talk for negotiation to the strike initiated.

Apart from the cease-work strike commencing from November 27 last year, the employees had already started carrying out sit-in protest in series at the respective office premises.

Today, also, employees of the state fisheries department staged a sit-in protest at its office premise at Lamphel pressing the state government for meeting their demand of provision of revised sixth pay.

Meanwhile, Nagaland government has on Tuesday reportedly sought a special financial package over the next five years beginning from 2010 from the visiting 13th finance commission as the government is giving top emphasis on compensating the state from the financial burden brought about by the Sixth Central Pay Commission.

Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has reportedly expressed serious concern over the problem of pay revision being faced by the State.

The Nagaland government which overwhelmingly dependent upon the Central government and that the State's own tax and non-tax revenue contribute to cover barely 6 percent of its total expenditure, demanded an award of additional fund of Rs 1849 crores for implementation of sixth pay commission to its employees, the report said.

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