West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday hiked the dearness allowance (DA) for state authorities staff and elevated the month-to-month honorariums for mosque muezzins and Hindu clergymen barely an hour earlier than the Election Fee introduced the meeting ballot schedule.
“I’m glad to announce that our Ma-Mati-Manush authorities has delivered on its promise to all its staff and pensioners, and to lakhs of academics and non-teaching workers of our instructional establishments, in addition to staff/pensioners of our different grant-in-aid establishments like panchayats, municipal our bodies, different native our bodies, and so forth,” Banerjee wrote on X at 3:05 pm.
“They’ll begin receiving their ROPA 2009 DA arrears from March 2026 onwards as per the modalities detailed out within the notifications issued by our Finance Division,” she added.
Additionally Learn: West Bengal meeting elections on April 23 and April 29, outcomes on Could 4
Though the finance division didn’t situation a direct notification, Sangrami Joutha Mancha — the joint platform of varied organisations representing state staff, academics and pensioners who’ve been finishing up an agitation for 3 years and have moved the Supreme Courtroom — welcomed the announcement.
The Supreme Courtroom not too long ago handed an order of their favour, stating that their DA should match the suggestions of the seventh Pay Fee.
Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP)’s Suvendu Adhikari, the chief of the opposition within the Bengal legislative meeting, known as Banerjee’s announcement on revised DA a “determined last-minute gimmick.”
“After years of looting the state treasury and dishonest them blind, that is your determined last-minute ballot gimmick?” Adhikari wrote on X.
“Not a single paisa will truly be launched. Zero accountability, zero funds, zero supply – solely empty notifications out of your Finance Division to idiot the individuals one final time. Basic TMC election drama. West Bengal is watching. This time the joke is on you Mamata Banerjee….” he added.
Addressing a rally in Bengal on March 2, Union Residence Minister Amit Shah stated, “Authorities staff throughout India obtain salaries advisable by the seventh Pay Fee. Solely Bengal authorities staff are nonetheless beneath the sixth Pay Fee. In case you assist us win, the seventh Pay Fee might be enforced right here in 45 days.”
Convenor of the Sangrami Joutha Mancha Bhaskar Ghosh stated, “This can be a main victory for us. It proves that an organised agitation can carry any authorities right down to its knees.”
Earlier than saying the revised DA, Banerjee additionally introduced revised month-to-month honorariums for muezzins of mosques and Hindu clergymen, from ₹1,500 to ₹2,000.
“I’m happy to announce a rise of ₹500 within the month-to-month honorariums prolonged to our purohits and muezzins, whose service sustains the religious and social lifetime of our communities. With this revision, they may now obtain ₹2,000 monthly,” Banerjee wrote on X at 2:40 pm.
“On the similar time, all recent functions which have been duly submitted by purohits and muezzins have additionally been accepted by the State Authorities. We take pleasure in nurturing an surroundings the place each neighborhood and each custom is valued and strengthened. Our endeavour stays to make sure that the custodians of our wealthy religious heritage obtain the popularity and help they deserve,” she added.
Bharatiya Janata Get together’s Bengal unit president Samik Bhattacharya stated the hiked honorarium for muezzins and clergymen, which that they had been demanding, is not going to have an effect on the result of the approaching polls.
“A authorities is at all times free to assist individuals in want. We wouldn’t say a phrase if she had hiked the honorariums to ₹3,000. However on the finish of the day these received’t have an effect on the result of the polls. It has already been determined,” Bhattacharya stated.
Banerjee introduced a month-to-month honorarium of ₹1,000 and homes for clergymen, most of whom are Brahmins, for the primary time in 2020. It triggered a debate, with the Congress, Left and BJP calling it a transfer to safe Hindu votes earlier than the 2021 meeting polls.
Banerjee swept that election, profitable 215 of 294 seats whereas the BJP secured 75. The Left and Congress couldn’t win any seat for the primary time since Independence. The allowance for clergymen was later elevated to ₹1,500.
In 2012, a yr after ousting the 34-year-old Left Entrance authorities, Banerjee introduced a month-to-month honorarium of ₹2,500 for the imams (head clerics) of all mosques. This triggered a row, with Hindu clergymen demanding an analogous scheme.
