Shimla: Himachal Pradesh government on Tuesday announced release of seven percent additional dearness allowance to its employees with effect from July 1 last year.
Presiding over the meeting of Joint Consultative Committee of Non Gazetted Employees Federation, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh said the arrears of additional DA from July 2014 to March 2015 would be credited to the provident fund of the employees while it would be paid in cash from April 2015.
The decision would entail annual expenditure of Rs 300 crore.
Referring to certain demands regarding financial benefits on Punjab pattern, the chief minister said the state government only follows the Punjab Pay Commission for doling out financial benefits to the employees and "not the announcements made by cabinet sub-committees or any other boards or corporations formed by Punjab government to lure its employees during elections".
Singh accused the previous BJP government of following the policy of "divide and rule" and "dividing" the NGOs into several units which was detrimental to the interests of the employees and added that he had always wished for a united body of employees to raise their issues.
He also blamed the previous BJP government for not presenting the case of the state "properly and effectively" before the 13th Finance Commission.
However, he hoped that the 14th Finance Commission would be considerate in assessing the financial and developmental needs of the state.
The Chief Minister said that the demands of the employees of the Rogi Kalyan Samitis and other demands of the NGO federation would be considered sympathetically.
