Didi races poll clock on DA sop, payouts for priests, muezzins

KOLKATA: Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee announced Sunday that her govt would wage Rs 10,000 crore successful DA arrears to 9 lakh authorities employees and pensioners from March and hike the monthly honorarium for Hindu priests and Muslim muezzins by Rs 500 to Rs 2,000, squeezing successful some conscionable earlier the exemplary codification of behaviour kicked in.

Mamata made the clergy honorarium hike connected her authoritative X grip astatine 2.40pm. The DA arrears assurance followed astatine 3.05pm, 55 minutes earlier the commencement of CEC Gyanesh Kumar's presser to state the canvass docket for 4 states and 1 Union territory. Pay 25% of DA arrears by March 31, SC had told TMCBengal govt employees and pensioners "will commencement receiving their ROPA (Revision of Pay and Allowances) 2009 DA arrears from March 2026 onwards, per the modalities elaborate successful the notifications issued by our concern department," CM Mamata Banerjee posted connected X Sunday, little than an hr earlier the CEC's presser to state the canvass docket for 4 states, including Bengal.

In Feb, Supreme Court directed the Trinamool govt to wage 25% of DA arrears - amounting to Rs 10,000 crore - by March 31. The remaining arrears are to beryllium paid based connected a docket drawn up by a committee headed by Justice (retd) Indu Malhotra. Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the timing had thing to bash with elections. "The CM had planned this strategy good successful beforehand and made the ceremonial announcement erstwhile she deemed it appropriate," helium said.

Bengal's person of the absorption Suvendu Adhikari dismissed the DA announcement arsenic "a joke" and a "classic TMC predetermination drama". Responding to a question, CEC Kumar said determination was thing incorrect astir the Union oregon a authorities govt implementing a caller argumentation determination earlier the announcement of polls. But erstwhile the exemplary codification takes effect, "any determination affecting the result of elections oregon acting arsenic an inducement is not allowed", helium said. Bhaskar Ghosh of Sangrami Joutha Mancha, a national of authorities govt employees, called the announcement "the effect of sustained unit by agitating employees from a non-partisan platform". The hike successful honorarium came arsenic alleviation to astir 2.5 lakh priests, of whom adjacent to 1.7 lakh are registered with the Paschimbanga Rajya Sanatan Brahman Trust. This volition payment them significantly," spot president Rajib Banerjee said.