CM sticks to 'no 6th pay' stand
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 25 2011: As the State has no resource to meet the demand of COTA and FECTAM, which have been insisting on implementation of Central 6th Pay, now the only option left is to seek the opinion of the people on doubling the amount of taxes imposed by the Government to meet the demand, Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has stated.

Interacting with mediapersons at the site where a new Assembly complex is being set up on the sidelines of inspecting the developmental works being taken up in Imphal area today, the Chief Minister maintained that the Government wants to meet the demand of the teachers and it is being discussed seriously.

However, there is no resource in the State to meet the demands of the teachers.

Before meeting such demands, there is the need to think over how the State had suffered at the time of extending Central 5th Pay to the employees, the Chief Minister said.

He went on to say that if the demand of the teachers is to be met from the fund provided for developmental works, the Government would be in no possible to submit the utilisation certificate to the Planning Commission.

The Commission has been closely monitoring the developmental works being taken up including clearance of Phumdis.

So, the fund provided for developmental works can not be diverted.

Moreover, the State has no revenue and if the demand is to met then all the developmental activities have to be stopped, the Chief Minister said, while asserting that the demand for 6th Central Pay has not yet been implemented in other North Eastern States like Nagaland, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura and economy of Arunachal Pradesh is in doldrums today after implementation of the Central 6th Pay.

The Chief Minister pointed out that to the demand of COTA, the Government has proposed payment of nearly Rs 20,000 to a primary teacher.

But COTA has rejected it.

If the demand of the teachers for implementation of Central 6th Pay is accepted then all the teachers under District Councils, nurses, police, etc would follow suit with similar demand.

In meeting the demand of COTA, the Government would spend at least Rs 5 to 6 crores in a month and Rs 50 to 60 crores in a year.

If a demand is reasonable, the Government is ready to listen, the Chief Minister asserted, while pointing out that the age of retirement of the employees has been extended upto 60 years and that of the college teachers upto 62 years.

With regard to the demand of FECTAM, the Chief Minister explained that as per the conditions laid down by UGC, 80 percent of the amount required for implementation of Central 6th Pay to the college teachers during the period from 1/1/2006 to 31/3/2010 is to be provided by UGC while the remaining amount from the side of the State Government.

This UGC scheme too has been implemented only in Madhya Pradesh and not in any other Indian States.

In meeting the demand of FECTAM, the State Government would be spending at least Rs 10 to 20 crores in a month and Rs 100 crores in a year, the Chief Minister added.

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