Govt staff in MP fret over no cash salary payment

Government employees associations in MP are miffed that the state government did not pay heed to their request for making arrangements to dole out a portion of salary in cash.

According to employees associations, there are approximately 3.45 lakh Class III and IV employees, 2.5 lakh teachers, 2 lakh contractual employees, 1 lakh government-run boards and corporations besides 1.3 lakh class I and II officers in Madhya Pradesh.

MP Class III Employees Association general secretary Laxminarayan Sharma told HT that the associations had written to the chief secretary urging employees be given some cash against their salaries but there was no response from the government.

The central government and even neighbouring Chhattisgarh have decided to give `10,000 each in cash to the employees against their salaries, he said.

“The MP government could have followed the suit. But despite written and verbal requests, we didn’t get any assurance.”

Banks would be overburdened in the next few days, particularly when employees turn up to withdraw money in a large number from their accounts, he added.

Sudhir Nayak of State Secretariat Employees Association said government employees were mentally prepared to endure the sufferings in the national interest.

“But if this trend and situation continue for a long time, we will have to think our course of action.”

But parliamentary affairs minister Narottam Mihra claimed he was unaware of any such demand raised by the government employees for part payment of salary in cash.

Meanwhile, banks claimed they were geared up to meet the salary rush.

State Bank of India, Madhya Pradesh, public relations officer Udai Bhagwat said the bank has enough cash and employees would not face any inconvenience.

“We are not facing any problem… The limit is sufficient. This is the salary week yet we haven’t run out of cash or received any complaint,” Narendra Mishra, branch manager of Central Bank of India, said.

“I don’t know why certain banks are complaining about shortage of cash. We are receiving sufficient cash. There was a shortage in the beginning but now everything is well settled,” said Monika Chhatri from Axis bank.