MAPUSA
The Mapusa Municipal Council on Monday unanimously rejected a government move to shift the burden of payment of salaries of the staff belonging to the common cadre on to the civic body.
The council was of the opinion that it has no problem in adopting the National Pension Scheme (NPS) for the employees of the common cadre, provided the State government bears the financial burden entailing out of the exercise.
The Director of Municipal Administration (DMA) in a note had informed that if the civic body adopts the National Pension Scheme (NPS) for the employees of common cadre then the civic body will also have to pay their salaries entailing additional burden of Rs 89 lakh on the council.
Placing the issue before the ordinary council meeting, Mapusa Chairperson, Shubhangi Vaigankar informed that most civic bodies have discussed and voted on the matter of the NPS for common cadre staff and the same was now before this council for appropriate decision.
Councilor Prakash Bhivshet said the Mapusa civic body was struggling to pay the salaries of its staff and this move would only put more pressure on the already stressed finances of the council.
“We don’t have money to pay our employees and therefore this resolution should be outrightly rejected by the council,” Bhivshet said.
Seconding him was Councillor Tarak Arolkar who said that there was no point in adopting the resolution on the NPS as described by the note moved by the DMA.
“The financial implication is huge and the civic body will not be able to bear the burden. We have struggled to pay salaries of our own staff in the recent past,” Arolkar said.
Councilor Nutan Bicholkar also gave thumbs down to the resolution.
“We should unitedly oppose the resolution as it will put severe stress on the financial position of the council,” Bicholkar said.
So far, the engineers and accountants from the common cadre that are working in the municipalities are appointed and controlled by the Department of Urban Development and their pay and allowances since appointment are paid by the State government through salary grants.
Later, the council unanimously adopted a resolution stating that the council has no objection in implementing the NPS for the common cadre staff provided the State government bears the financial burden arising out of the move.
