GUWAHATI, May 8 ? Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today announced that salaries and expenditures of State Ministers and top bureaucrates would be reduced in view of the precarious financial crisis gripping the State. Talking to newsmen at Janata Bhawan here this afternoon, the Chief Minister informed that there would be 25 per cent pay-cut, 20 per cent cut on travel allowance and 20 per cent cut on telephone expenditure for all the Ministers as part of the austerity measures being contemplated by the State Government. He further informed that the Government would put ceiling on travel and telephone expenditure incurred by the bureaucrates every month while discharging their duties. When asked whether the Government was preparing the ground for reduction of salaries and other benefits of all Government employees, the Chief Minister said the Government was ready to take tough measures if the need arose while trying the tide over the present financial crisis.
He said the much awaited expansion of his ministry was getting delayed by about a year because of the financial crisis. However, he informed that the expansion would be effected within the next ten days, i.e. by May 18 on which Gogoi Government would complete one year in the office. While reaffirming that Congress president Sonia Gandhi has given the go ahead for ministry expansion, the Chief Minister denied that any list of Congress MLAs to be inducted in the ministry was presented before Smt Gandhi for her perusal and approval. He said ?expansion of ministry will ensure proper representation of all sections of the State.?
Finance Panel Award : Regretting that the State was deprived of about Rs 1000 crore due the error in calculations committed by the Eleventh Finance Commission while giving awards to different States, the Chief Minister today criticised the previous AGP regime for its failure to take the matter with the Centre urgently as it was well aware of the glaring disparity in Tenth and Eleventh Finance Commission Awards to the State. He informed that while the Tenth Finance Commission granted Rs 710 crore to the State the Eleventh Finance Commission had given only Rs 110 crore during the last AGP regime which for the reason best known to it did not pursue the matter with the Centre.
He said, ?now that Centre has admitted the lapse on part of the Eleventh Finance Commission depriving the State of about Rs 1,000 crore due to persistent pressure exerted by my Government, they will have to compensate the State suitably in whatever way possible for them.? ?My Government will continue to demand for compensation from the Centre and it is upto the Centre to find ways to pay the money to the State which is already gripped in acute financial crisis,? he said. Meanwhile, the State Government was in constant touch with the Union Petroleum Ministry to make the Indian Oil Corporation pay over Rs 480 crore sales tax dues to the State. Sri Gogoi said the IOC was keen to pay in instalments, but the State Government want the payment at one go.