Dhumal’s 1st move: hikes daily wages, social security pension

Keeping its poll promise, the newly elected Prem Kumar Dhumal Government on Tuesday...

Keeping its poll promise, the newly elected Prem Kumar Dhumal Government on Tuesday hiked daily wages of labourers from Rs 75 to 100 as one of its first decisions. It also announced a Rs 100 per month hike in social security pensions, including for the elderly, physically disabled and widows.

During the elections, the BJP had made rising prices a major issue. Having swept to power, the party has taken what it sees as immediate steps to benefit the affected sections.

More than 12 lakh people right now get social security pension of Rs 200 per month. The last hike, from Rs 100 per month, incidentally also came from the previous BJP Government headed by Dhumal. “There has not been any increase in the pension in the past five years,” the Chief Minister today pointed out to mediapersons.

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The annual financial burden on account of the social security pension is Rs 60 crore. This will now go up to more than Rs 90 crore. More than 2.35 lakh families are expected to benefit.

The hike in the daily wage for labourers is Rs 25. The beneficaries will be those engaged by departments like Public Works, Irrigation and Public Health and Forests. PSU, private sector and other labourers engaged under the National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) can avail the hike.

“The NREGS is currently implemented only in four districts. On Monday, Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh told me about extending the scheme to the whole state.This increase in daily wage will thus have a huge impact. The programme will also help strengthen the socio-economic position of the poor in rural areas,” asserts Dhumal.

Dhumal, who earlier in the morning visited local schools run by NGOs for destitutes and another for special children, announced a grant of Rs 9 lakh for an NGO called Udaan, headed by Lalita Rana, and Rs 5 lakh for Abhi, run by social activist Neerja Shukla.

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The NGOs which had done good work with physically and mentally challenged children would be provided land for construction of buildings.

Referring to the state’s fiscal health, Dhumal admitted that there were serious problems on this front. “The government will diagnose the problem and then take effective steps, including mobilisation of resources. Soon,the government will also be issuing a White Paper to place all the facts before the people.”