On the Contrary: High time we realised Pay Commission's importance'

In the wake of several agitations for higher wages and perquisites from different State run units like Police and Road Transport, it is high-time States start establishing their own Pay commissions on similar lines as the Central Pay Commission.

Lower morale, productivity, dissatisfactions among affected workers apart, when issues come to head and culminate in strikes and other disruptive actions, damage to life and public property, loss of man hours and accompanied loss of GDP continue to be the rule of the game. All these are avoidable and least affordable.

Die hard communist countries like the Russia and China have turned highly capitalistic and take strong measures to curb activities that disturb public life, damage property and disrupt production. Such activities are of by-gone era and very much anachronistic. We now have a crying need to improve the economy. The whole world is looking at us to provide the much needed fillip and to lead the world to the path of recovery.

It is high-time that we wake up to realities, provide the much needed leadership and pull the world out of recession by bucking our production and productivity.

All concerns of workers must henceforth be addressed by State Pay Commissions alone and no more disruption of public life and productive activities should be allowed.

State Pay commission is already popular in West Bengal. Several other States will be planning State Pay Commissions and are very likely to give hefty pay hikes as done by the Centre. This will no doubt drastically reduce the problems faced by students, general public and industries due to strikes, bandhs and similar agitations.

We cannot comment on the hefty salaries and perquisites of Ministers, MPs and MLAs for fear of 'contempt' cases. But the hefty increase in the pay and perquisite of Central Government employees given by the Pay Commission speaks clearly of liberal use of powers and of appeasement and gratification. Hikes should definitely co-relate to cost of living indices. But, they should also relate efficiency and productivity. Even today a significant percent of bureaucracy earn by right means and foul means, and revel in delaying and complicating procedures using multiple interpretations of rules and regulations. Efforts of the Present Government at the Centre on Ease of doing business  and on 'Make in in India' Program can succeed only if the State Governments and all strata of the bureaucracy work in sync.