HT Correspondent
AGARTALA, Nov 7: Former Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar said on Thursday that the present BJP government in the state is lack interest to provide full Dearness Allowance (DA) to government employees or Dearness Relief (DR) to the pensioners, unlike the Central government, which is currently providing 53%.
Speaking on the matter, Sarkar, who is also a politburo member, stated that when the CPI(M) was in power, they provided DA and DR twice a year.
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“We are not claiming that we gave Dearness Allowance (DA) to government employees or Dearness Relief (DR) to the pensioners at the same level as the Central government. But we did provide it twice a year. Our aim was to match the Central government’s DA, though this was not fully achieved. I understand that there is still a 23% gap to reach parity with the Centre. The state government doesn’t lack funds, especially with a ‘double engine’ government at work. And it’s not just double but triple, as Tipra Motha has also joined. With the BJP in power at the Centre, what are they waiting for?” Sarkar remarked.
He added that the state government could exert pressure on the Centre to secure the necessary funds and clear all pending DA and DR.
“This would make people happy, which would benefit the government and boost business. The main issue is that the government lacks interest,” he concluded.
