The Assistant Technology Managers (ATMs) and the Block Technology Managers (BTMs) working in the Agriculture Department under the Centrally sponsored ATMA (Agricultural Technology Management Agency) scheme have been awaiting salaries for past nearly seven months.

While 60% of their salary is contributed by the Centre, the remaining 40 per cent is contributed by the state.

Important link between dept, farmers

We perform all field work, including propagating the government schemes related to farmers, Crop Cutting Experiment, soil sampling and various other surveys for the department and despite being an important link between the department and the farmers, the employees don’t get salaries in time. Assistant Technical Manager, Ambala

The employees said due to a lack of coordination between the Centre and the state, their salaries got stuck and they haven't been paid since September last year.

The employees under the banner of ATMA Staff Haryana, earlier this month, had submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Haryana regarding their pending salaries, and forming a state salary policy to ensure that the employees don’t have to wait for months to get their salaries.

In the memorandum, the employees mentioned that the contractual employees play a crucial role in various government schemes, including natural farming, Soil Health Card scheme, Crop Residue Management, Jal Shakti Abhiyan, Crop Cutting Experiment, Mera Pani Meri Virasat, PM Kisan Nidhi and PM Fasal Bima scheme. But due to delay in the budget from the Centre, the employees are not getting salaries and they were finding it hard to run their household expenses.

An Assistant Technical Manager (ATM) in Ambala said, “We perform all field work, including propagating the government schemes related to farmers, Crop Cutting Experiment, soil sampling and various other surveys for the department and despite being an important link between the department and the farmers, the employees don’t get salaries in time. We have requested the higher authorities repeatedly to ensure that the salaries are given in time, but nothing happened.”

Another employee said, “Only we know how we have been managing without the salaries. Next month, the new academic session will begin and like other parents we also need money to purchase books for our children and pay their school nd admission fee. We are not seeking regular jobs, but at least we should be provided salaries in time. We have been appointed by the state hence it is the moral duty of the state to ensure that the employees get salaries every month.”

The state body of the employees said the annual budget under the scheme is Rs 22 crore, and around 450 employees in the state are working under the scheme. The government should prepare a state salary policy and ensure that the employees get their salaries even if there is a delay from the Centre, and use its contingency fund to clear the salaries.

“We have been told that the department has been trying to divert some funds to clear the salaries of the employees. We request the government to ensure that the salaries are cleared before the financial year ends” an ATM said.

Meanwhile, Deputy Director Agriculture Ambala Dr Jasvinder Saini said, “The employees under the ATMA scheme are yet to get their salaries and we have taken up the matter with the higher authorities. We are hopeful that they will get their pending salaries soon.”