Manipur cabinet resolves to cancel 2581 appointments

IMPHAL, March 7: Even though Yaoshang festival is just two days away payment of salaries of Government employees is still uncertain. The Centre is yet to release the promised Rs 100 crore and the Chief minister Radhabinod Koijam was unable to say whether salaries and pensions would be paid by tomorrow. Speaking to The Sangai Expressthis evening Radhabinod said that the Centre has given strict instruction that the sum of Rs 100 crore promised by the Centre should be utilised only for developmental purposes and not for paying salaries to the Government employees. He informed that it costs the State exchequer about 57 crore per month to pay salaries to the 80 thousands odd Government employees. On the top of this the Government has cough another Rs 7 crore to pay the pensioners, he added. This works out to about Rs 786 crore annually. He further said that the Plan Budget for the State is Rs 428 crore. Out of this the State may receive Rs 321 crore after the amount payable by the state government is deducted, he said. Radhabinod added as the pay for the employees far exceeds the Plan outlay the state government has been reduced to just a salary paying body. Coming down heavily on the lackluster performance of the Government employees, Radhabinod Koijam said that even though the employees are drawing salaries according to the 5th Pay Commission, no improvement in their performance is noticed. On the top of this the JAC is also demanding a more hefty pay, added the Chief Minister. Stating that people have started raising the question whether the state government is there only for the interest of the employees, the Chief Minister said there are other pressing issues which have started surfacing like developmental works, water supply and power supply. The Chief Minister added that the Centre has intimated that no central aid would be forthcoming if the State does not produce utilisation certificate pertaining to the expenditure from the non-lapsable pool and Prime Minister's special package. The move of the Centre was precipitated as funds from these polls were diverted to pay salaries to the employees, he said. In such a situation it is still not clear how best to deal with the payment of salaries, said the Chief Minister. Meanwhile the State Cabinet during its meeting held today decided to cancel the 2581 appointments effected by the previous regime in violation of the MoU signed between the state government and the Centre in April, 1999. However those appointed on the directive of the Court would not be removed. The Cabinet meeting also agreed to slash the perks and other benefits allotted to Ministers, Secretaries and Commissioners. The meeting discussed at length on the current unilateral ceasefire in the state and also reviewed the 26-point Action Plan agreed between the previous regime and the Centre. The Co-coordinating Committee of People's Front would convene a meeting on March 12 to review the progress of the ceasefire and to convene an all-party meeting on March 16. The decision was faxed to the Prime Minister, Home Minister, Defence Minister and the Finance Minister.