Centre should pay DA of state govt employees as well: Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: Centre should come forward and pay the dearness allowance of state government employees as well, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee demanded on Saturday.

"Whenever the Centre announces DA, state government employees should be given the same on a par (with central government employees). "They (Centre) give it (to central government employees) before elections. Will others (state government employees) suck their thumbs?" Banerjee asked.

"We want the Centre to pay the DA for (state government) employees," Banerjee said.

She added that paying DA cost Rs 6,900 crore to the state exchequer.

"How will we be able to afford it when the central government is taking all the money from us?" she asked.

Speaking at a convention of state government employees organised under the banner of the Paschimbanga Sarkari Karmachari Federation, Banerjee said the matter had also been taken up with the Finance Commission.

She reiterated her charge that the Union government had stopped funds for various central schemes like Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana and the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme.

"There should be a tax for those who lie," she said.

She also added that restructuring should be done for the interest on loans taken from the Centre by the previous Left Front government. "Why should we pay for the faults of CPI(M)?" she asked.

Criticising the Left-affiliated coordination committee of state government employees, Banerjee said the body should now be dismantled as it did no work.

"They have no work besides criticising others. They are shameless. They did no work for the last 34 years and now, too, are not working," she said while adding that such employees were holding up various files.

She, meanwhile, announced that housing loans would be restarted for the welfare of employees.

Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the same under a scheme entitled 'Akanksha'.

A health scheme has also been extended for another two years under which government employees would be able to avail themselves of cashless hospitalisation facility of up to Rs 1 lakh.

"We have added new hospitals to the list and also (expanded the disease cover)," Banerjee said.

As to contractual employees, she said none would lose jobs but, due to the financial burden, they would not be regularised. Urging the employees to work properly, she told them, "you are the face of good governance".