Express News Service
MUMBAI: With a view to curbing the mounting debt and expenses on government employees’ salaries and pensions and demand for reservation, the Maharashtra government has decided to recruit skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers on a contract basis through nine empanelled companies. Opposition parties slammed the move, saying this is nothing but privatising the government departments.
Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, who is also the finance minister, defended the move saying this is the best decision that has been taken to curb the mounting debt and expenses on government employees’ salaries and pensions. He said government salaries are so high that the state cannot afford it at this juncture.
The state industry, labour and energy department has issued government resolutions wherein it is stated that the state government has decided to outsource the skilled and unskilled youths on a contract basis. The government has prepared an agreement of five years with these empanelled agencies to provide workers to the various departments of the state government.
The government has empanelled nine firms that will help the government to provide skilled, semi-skilled and unskilled workers. Various departments, local establishments, corporations and semi-government organisations can avail of the services from the empanelled firms.
“This decision of outsourcing people will help the state government to reduce its cost by 20-30 per cent while the firms that provide workers will get a 15 per cent service charge against the salary of each person. Out of this 15 per cent service charge, the empanelled firms will have to pay one per cent tax to the state labour department and this amount will be used for the administration work of the labour department,” the government resolution stated.
