The government employees of Chattisgarh have been on a strike since 25 July 2022. They have been protesting against the salary hike that has been granted to the MLAs of Chhattisgarh.
The state government employees are using this opportunity to demand a hike in their dearness allowance (DA) and freight allowance, as per the 7th Pay Commission, equivalent to what is given to the Central government employees. The employees are also disgruntled because their salaries are being cut to reduce administration expenses.
Post the increment, MLAs who used to get a salary of Rs 95,000 per month, will receive Rs 1,50,000 per month. Their medical and telephone allowances will also be increased by Rs 5,000 each. If the proposed salary hike of Rs 40,000 is implemented for the MLAs, the State will have to bear an extra financial burden of Rs. 35 lakh a month.
The strike, which is gaining support from across the State, is being led by Chhattisgarh Officer Employees Federation. As per the Federation, presently, the DA of a state government employee and a Central government employee differs by 17 per cent. The house rent allowance or HRA has not been updated to the 7th Pay Commission scale as yet. It still follows the 6th Pay Commission scale and is highly inadequate given the inflation.
If the DA and HRA are revised for the state government staff, as per the 7th Pay Commission, they will receive Rs 5,000 more in their salaries.
With the Chhattisgarh Teachers Association also lending support to the strike, teachers will be off duty in schools too. As many as 75 employee organisations have joined the protest.
