Raipur: With the Chhattisgarh government set to present the state budget on February 24, expectations are rising across various sections of society. The Chhattisgarh Employee Officers Federation has expressed strong hopes from the budget, while also warning of protests if its long-pending demands are not addressed.
The budget will be presented in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly by Finance Minister O.P. Chaudhary. Ahead of the announcement, employee unions have intensified their demands, saying the government is nearing three years in office and must now deliver concrete relief to its workforce.
Key Expectations from the Budget
Provincial convener Kamal Verma said the federation expects meaningful provisions for government employees in the upcoming budget. “This budget should address the issues of employees across departments. We have waited long enough,” he said.
The federation has listed several major demands, including:
- Provision for Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears
- Resolution of pay anomalies affecting clerks, teachers, health department staff, and women and child development employees
- Budgetary provision for implementation of the Pinguwa Committee report
- Introduction of a four-tier time-bound pay scale
Additional Demands
The federation has also demanded revised pay scales for assistant teachers, teachers, and veterinary officers. It has called for the implementation of a cashless medical facility across the state, and adoption of policies similar to Madhya Pradesh regarding earned leave encashment.
Other key issues include the regularization of daily wage and contractual employees, as promised in the government’s election manifesto, and the regularization of panchayat secretaries.
Protest Warning
Kamal Verma warned that if the government fails to take a positive and concrete step on these demands in the February 24 budget, the federation will be forced to launch a statewide agitation in the coming days.
As the budget day approaches, all eyes are on Chhattisgarh, where the government’s response to employee demands is expected to have both administrative and political implications.