The Hindu : Pay commissions to be set up once in ten years

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Mar 22, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka

Pay commissions to be set up once in ten years

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore March 21. Pay commissions for State government employees will be set up once in ten years, and not five years as is being done now, according to the budget proposals for 2002-2003 presented in the Legislative Assembly today by the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna, who holds the Finance portfolio.

The step has been taken as part of the measures to control administrative expenditure. Apart from various short-term measures in expenditure control, the Government had set up an Administrative Reforms Commission to take a comprehensive view on reforms and the Government was examining its recommendations, the Chief Minister said.

Other measures mentioned in the budget proposals are: introduction of efficiency bar tests to improve the quality of governance, abolition of the Stores Purchase Department which has outlived its utility, giving an opportunity to government employees to work in the non-governmental sector, and amendment of recruitment rules to encourage the lateral entry of professionals from outside the Government. It has also been proposed to introduce a voluntary retirement scheme in the State and work out modalities to allow government departments to hire vehicles. To reduce delays and to make the administration more responsive, there is a proposal to designate commissioners of select departments as special secretaries to the Government.

Mr. Krishna announced an additional increment from April 1, 2002 for government employees, other than teachers, who have put in 20 years of service without a single promotion in posts covered under the first 11 State pay scales. The house rent allowance for employees will be revised from that date. While it will be 13 per cent (11 per cent at present) in cities classified as A, B1 and B2, it will go up from four per cent to five per cent in class D cities. In class E cities, it will go up to four per cent from 3 per cent.

High Court Bench

Referring to the long-standing demand for a High Court Bench for northern Karnataka, Mr. Krishna announced an allocation of Rs. 10 crore and said additional allocation would be made, if necessary, during the course of the year.

The efforts to modernise the police force would continue, Mr. Krishna said. In the past two years the Government had spent Rs. 215 crore, including Rs. 140 crore received from the Centre, for the modernisation of the police force. The State would spend Rs.135 crore for the purpose this year, with Rs. 60 crore being the State's share.

Making other points, Mr. Krishna said ten "Bhoomi" district centres would be made functional next year. The Bhoomi scheme would be decentralised to cover around 100 hoblis, in partnership with the private sector.

Plea for tribunal

In the course of his speech, Mr. Krishna reiterated the State's stand that the height of the Alamatti Dam should be raised to 524.256 metres. He urged the Centre to constitute a tribunal for the allocation of surplus Krishna waters to enable the State get its rightful share.

Parts of Bagalkot city, up to a level of 525 metres, would be considered affected by the dam and the affected areas would be acquired in phases, he added.

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