Seven days into September, the employees of the Punjab government are yet to receive their salary for the month of August. As a result they are finding it difficult to meet their household expenses and pay their EMIs. Speaking to ABP Live, President of Punjab Civil Secretariat Staff Association, Jaspreet Randhawa said that the employees have raised the issue of salary with the higher authorities but have not received any confirmation in this regard yet. As a norm, the salary is always credited to the account of the employees on the first of every month.
On being asked about the reason behind the delay in payment of salaries by ABP Live, Randhawa said he does not have any idea and is unaware of the financial condition of the government. He, however, said he should be paid on time for working for the government.
Congress leader Pargat Singh urged the Bhagwant Mann led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in the state to stop distributing freebies if the expenses can't be met. He also said that delay in payment of salaries will lead to drop in morale of the employees, particularly those in the police and medical department as they work for long hours.
According to a report by The Indian Express, the delay in payment is likely due to the fund crunch being faced by the Punjab government ever since the GST compensation regime came to an end.
The state had got Rs 16,000 crore as GST compensation from Centre in the previous fiscal year. This year it has received compensation only for the first quarter of the current fiscal after which the GST regime came to an end on June 30, reported the The Indian Express.
The state’s annual salary bill is Rs 31,171 crore, or roughly Rs 2,597 crore every month, the report added.