AGARTALA, July 5 (TIWN): Giving a terrible blow to the state gov't employees regarding their much expected hope of Pay hike Finance Minister Bhanu Lal Saha categorically mentioned that state gov't has not yet thought of constituting a Pay Commission or to release the 46% DA due to them in compare to the Central Govt employees. Bhanu Lal was briefing the media persons in his office in the state secretariat on Sunday evening. Replying to a question whether the gov't will discuss the issue of the employees' pay hike in the Cabinet meeting to be held on Tuesday Bhanu Lal Saha said ," Government would like a discussion on the revised pay scales in the right time with its limited resources. " Thus, it is quite clear that Manik Sarkar led LF Govt is almost certain to deprive the state employees again like it did during the last ten(10) years campaigning the so-called ' Deprivation of 13th Finance Commission. "

The CPI-M party is simply playing a dual role about the gov't employees demands and rights. CPI-M General Secretary Sitaram Yechury criticized the Central Govt soon after the announcement of 7th CPC implementation saying   " Usually and even now the suspicion is that higher ranking bureaucrats and officers have gained more than the ones who are not so high ranking.

That is patently unfair. We will study that,”.  Sitaram also added  that the Monsoon Session of Parliament will see the issue being debated. Another important leader of CPI-M Polit Buro Surjya Kanta Mishra too came out heavily on Mamata Banerjee led TMC Govt in West Bengal regarding employees deprivation.

Reacting to 7 CPC in his Twitter account Mishra said ," 7th CPC announced by the Central Govt. The difference in DA for state gov't employees( West Bengal) in 50%+. The state gov't instead of acting has chosen to be silent. (Twitter handle attached ). Interestingly neither Sitaram nor Surhya Kanta not even a single leader of the CPI-M party has come out to speak in favour of the state gov't employees' deprivation in Tripura, where CPI-M is ruling since 1993. The employees in Tripura are now having the lowest pay structure in the country. Even at present they are getting 46% less compare to Central Govt's DA .

As usual Bhanu Lal Saha tried to put the blame on the Centre saying ," In the FY 2015-16 the state received Rs 500 crore less what it was promised and this year it could go around Rs 1156 crore. " He added that state's own revenue generation is only Rs 1500 crore. Quite surprisingly Bhanu Lal remained silent about the funds allocated by the Finance Commission .

The 14th Finance Commission has allotted a total budget of 31308.76 crore for Tripura. Out of which  fund allotted for Salary and Wages is   6463.47 crore and fund for Pension Benefit is  837.75 crore.

Meanwhile in West Bengal Mamata Banerjee led TMC gov't has already announced 10% hike in the existing pay band of state gov't employees as an Interim Relief(IR)  to the implementation of 7th CPC. But in Tripura the state gov't is not only unwilling to declare IR but also not interested to release the pending DA. Bhanu Lal Saha himself said ," If the gov't releases pending 46% DA to the gov't employees , the gov't will have to bear Rs 1600 crore in a year which is impossible for the state. "

 Keeping the same line with the state gov't CPI-M's puppet employees' wing H B Road has already released a statement demanding that the Centre must provide required fund to the state gov't to implement the proposals of 7th CPC in Tripura for state gov't employees. This organ along with CPI-M gov't in a very organised way campaigned about Finance Commission's deprivation to Tripura. But being  a Special Category State Tripura got Rs 7411.50 crore from 13th Finance Commission (for the year 2010-2015) compare to 12th Finance Commission's sanction of Rs 2626.09cr as part of its share of Central Tax. Thus, 13th Finance Commission has sanctioned 182% more than what the 12th Finance Commission did.

 Even in Non-plan fund 13th Finance Commission has given Tripura Rs 1263 crore compare to Rs 296 of the 12th Finance Commission an increase of 326%.

 As Gap Grant from 13th Commission Tripura got Rs 240.79 cr more (13th Finance Commission considered state's own earning as Rs 4484.24cr though state govt submitted the report saying the earning as Rs 4728.93cr ).