Port Blair, Mar 19: The Non-Gazetted Government Officers’ Association noted with serious concern the anti-employee and anti-people proposals in the Union Budget presented in the Lok Sabha on 16th March, 2012 by the Finance Minister Mr. Pranab Kumar Mukherjee. The Central Government’s utter disregard for the government employees and workers has once again come out in the open in the Union Budget. The Union Budget 2012-13 continued the pattern of providing concessions to the rich while imposing burden on the poor and lower middle class. The increase in the service tax from 10% to 12% will lead to further price rise.
The nominal increase of Rs 20000 in the standard deduction from Rs. 1.80 to Rs 2 lakhs for male government employees and an increase of only Rs. 10000 from the present Rs. 1.90 lakh to Rs. 2 lakhs for women employees is the most shocking proposal by the Finance Minister as the government employees had expected a substantial increase in the Income Tax standard deduction atleast upto Rs 3 lakhs. This will lead to a situation where even the Peons and Mazdoors will have to pay Income Tax.
A government which taxes Peons and Mazdoors cannot call itself as a welfare government. The reduction in the subsidy to LPG cylinders will be another burden on the common man and lower middle class government employees. The Non-Gazetted Govt. Officers’ Association has decided to protest against the anti-employee Union Budget and to conduct a campaign among government employees and workers and general public through corner meetings, rallies, etc. A decision in this regard has been taken in the meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the Association held at Port Blair today (17.03.2012) under the chairmanship of Mr. S. Surender, Vice President.
