IMPHAL, April 23 � Manipur Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh has reiterated that his government has no capacity to include arrears while recommending implementation of the 6th Pay Commission recommendations in the State due to lack of financial resources.
Briefing media soon after a State Cabinet meeting here on Thursday, Chief Minister Ibobi said, the Cabinet minutely discussed the demand of the striking employees with inputs from the financial experts and decided to exclude the arrears.
�We are are not reluctant to award the employees� demand. So we once again appeal the employees to rethink and reconsider their steps and withdraw the strike�, he said.
More than 60,000 State Government employees are on a cease work strike since January 16 last under the banner of the Joint Administrative Council (JAC) of All Manipur Government Employees Organisations (AMGEO) and All Manipur Trade Union Council (AMTUC) demanding that the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations in the State should also include arrears. The cease work strike had severely affected the functioning of the State machinery since then.
The Chief Minister further explained that an additional amount of Rs 69.68 crore is required to meet the State�s monthly expenditure of Rs 292.28 crore against the monthly income of Rs 222.61 crore.
The 13th Finance Commission in their award have also noted that they have decided not to include arrears in our assessment of non-plan revenue expenditure of the States.
The Chief Minister�s appeal could not convince the striking employees. �He has been saying this since the beginning of our strike�, JAC Secretary Th Chandramani said when contacted over phone. �Why he is not ready to sit with us and discuss it. This indicates that there might be some hidden agenda in the government�, he questioned.
On the State Government�s stand on the ongoing economic blockade called by Naga students over the holding of Autonomous District Council (ADC) election in the hills, Ibobi informed the media that the Cabinet has decided to hold the election next month.
