Staff, pensioners burn copies of Budget

Criticism has come in for the Punjab Budget by various employee organsations in the state. While the Budget came under condemnation from the Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front and Government Teachers Union, the Sarv Sikhiya Abhiyan Office Employees and Mid Day Meal Union also targeted the government on the Budget.

The Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front condemned the Budget on the failure to restore the old pension scheme contrary to the poll promises made by AAP. The SSA Office and Mid Day Meal Employees criticised it for failing to deliver any promises for contractual employees awaiting regularisation.

On Thursday, on the call of the Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front, copies of the Budget were also burnt in various schools of Phillaur. The Punjab Employees and Pensioners Joint Front said this was done to protest the anti-employee and anti-people Budget.

President of the Government Teachers Union Punjab, Jalandhar, Karnail Phillaur said employees and pensioners had been cheated. Before coming to power, the Aam Aadmi Party had promised to restore the OPS, double the salaries of Punjab's ASHA and Mid-Day Meal workers, regularisation of contractual employees, restore all allowance, including rural allowance, link DA to the Centre and and pay all the outstanding dues.

He said, however, it is regrettable that the government has remained silent about these guarantees in the fourth Budget.

Leaders of the joint front demanded that all issues be resolved by talking to the employees.