Tahliwal/Haroli, February 7 (Narayan Prabhakar): Deputy Chief Minister Mukesh Agnihotri assured the employees at the joint conference of employee federations of the Water Resources Department that the state government is fully committed to resolving all their legitimate problems and that no employee will be subjected to injustice.
The conference was held on Saturday at the Palakwah Auditorium in Haroli.
In his address, the Deputy Chief Minister said that there is no problem that cannot be solved. Have faith, I am with you, and all your legitimate issues will be resolved.
During the conference, the employees presented their problems and expectations related to various issues including regularization, promotion, pension, policy formulation, and duty arrangements to the Deputy Chief Minister. The Deputy Chief Minister listened to all the points seriously and assured them of the speedy resolution of every legitimate demand.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that in cases where a policy is required, the government will formulate a new policy, and decisions will be taken keeping in mind the interests of all sections. He said that permanent recruitments are being ensured in the department through a procedural process, so that employees can be included in the pension scheme.
He informed that 419 compassionate appointments are being made in the Water Resources Department.
He said that the state government is fully committed to the respect and social security of the employees. Our government has implemented the Old Pension Scheme, giving employees a guarantee for their old age. OPS has also been implemented in HRTC, and those employees who are currently deprived of this system will also be included in it. He said that the usefulness or otherwise of the outsourcing system is also being seriously considered.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the employees of the Water Resources Department provide services in extremely difficult and adverse conditions and in remote areas. Providing clean drinking water to every citizen of the state is no small task, and the contribution of the department's employees is commendable.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that despite the limited revenue resources of the state, the government is protecting the interests of the employees. He said that the GST system has already been detrimental to Himachal Pradesh, and now the central government has betrayed the state by discontinuing the Revenue Deficit Grant (RDG). However, the state government will not allow any kind of betrayal of its employees.
He informed that in the last five years, Himachal Pradesh had received approximately Rs. 38,000 crore as RDG. In the current circumstances, it was expected that this assistance would increase, but on the contrary, the RDG itself has been discontinued, which has created serious financial challenges for the state.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that the central government has not yet released approximately Rs. 1,250 crore under the Jal Jeevan Mission. Despite this, the state government is bearing the salaries of the employees appointed under this mission from its own resources. He said that the state government is fully committed to protecting the interests of the employees.
He informed that funds have been arranged to complete long-pending schemes. A provision of Rs. 300 crore has been made for the Fina Singh scheme, which has allowed the work to progress. Funds have also been obtained for the pending water schemes in the Dharampur area of ??Mandi district.
He said that the officers and employees working in the Jal Shakti Department are servants chosen by God for a special responsibility. Earlier, setting up water fountains was considered a virtuous act in society; today, the same service is being provided through the Jal Shakti Department. He urged the employees to consider the work related to water as an opportunity given by God and perform it with complete dedication.
The Deputy Chief Minister said that there used to be a severe water shortage in the Haroli area, but today the situation has completely changed, and this area has become a hub for cash crops. There was a time when there was no water to drink, but today the fields are flourishing. This transformation is the result of the hard work of the officers and employees of the Jal Shakti Department.
At the program, the state president of the ITI Trained Pump Operator Welfare Federation, Manjit Singh and General Secretary Bahadur Singh, the president of the Jal Shakti Department Employees Federation, Rajiv Agnihotri Pathak, the state president of the Para Pump Operator-Para Fitter Federation, Aman Sharma, the state president of the Jal Rakshak Sangh, Jwalu Ram, and the state president of the Para Multipurpose Employees Union, Vivek Kumar, apprised the Deputy Chief Minister of the demands of their respective organizations. The program was attended by Congress leaders Ranjit Rana, Vinod Bittu, Sandeep Agnihotri, Superintending Engineer of the Water Resources Department Naresh Dhiman, SDM Vishal Sharma, DSP Mohan Rawat, and other officials, as well as office bearers and members of various federations of the Water Resources Department from across the state.