Corona Virus Disease - two governments and two different approaches..

The Central Government has frozen the DA of it's employees and pensioners, for a period of one and half years, i.e., from 01.01.2020 to 01.07.2021.

The Kerala government has decided to defer 6 days’ pay of it's employees for 5 months, i.e., from April to August, 2020.

Whether, the actions of the Central government and the Kerala government are one and the same? Let us see.

1. As per the decision of the Central Government, the DA, payable to the employees and pensioners is frozen for a period of 1 ½ years, i.e., from 01.01.2020 to 01.07.2021. It means, this money is taken away once for all and will not be paid back to the employees and pensioners. It is nothing but grabbing money from the pockets of the employees and pensioners.

Whereas, the Kerala government has only deferred the payment. In it’s letter, dated 23.04.2020, the Kerala government has categorically mentioned that, this money will be repaid to the employees on a later date.

Thus, the actions taken by the Central Government and the Kerala Government, are not the same.

2. Pensioners survive only from the meagre pension that they are getting. However, Central Government did not show any mercy to the pensioners. Their pension is also reduced for one and half years. This is a very big injustice.

At the same time, the Kerala government did not touch the pensioners and thereby avoided causing any hardship to them.

3. Very importantly, before taking this decision, the Kerala government has consulted the trade unions. The NGO Union of Kerala, which is having 80% of the employees as it’s members, has given it's consent for the deferment of the pay. It is relevant to mention here that, in 2018 also, when Kerala was affected by the unprecedented floods, 80% of the Kerala State Government employees have donated one month's salary to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. 

However, the Central Government did not bother at all, to consult the trade unions, before freezing the DA. It has arbitrarily frozen the DA for one and half years.

4. Further, as per the order of the Kerala government, the salary of the employees, who receive salary below Rs.20,000/- will not be deferred. But, the Central Government did not make any such distinction.

5. There is a big difference between the central government and the government of a small state, like Kerala. The central government is having unlimited resources, at it’s disposal. But, it spends lakhs of crores of rupees for giving concessions to the big corporates.  For example, from 2014 onwards, the Central Government has written off Rs. 5.5 lakh crore bank loans as bad debt. These loans are mostly taken by the big corporates. Further, in October, 2019, the Central Government has reduced the Corporate Tax, as a result of which, the big corporates were benefitted to the extent of Rs.1.45 lakh crore. At the same time, for fighting the Corona Virus Disease, it grabs money from the pockets of the employees and pensioners and hit them in their stomachs.

Kerala is a small state, with very limited resources. It is the first state, which was hit by the Corona Virus Disease. Still, it allotted Rs. 20,000 crore to tackle the disease. Especially, it took care of the poor people and provided all helps to them. The manner in which the   Corona Disease is kept under control in Kerala and how the government has taken care of the poor people affected due to the lockdown, are being appreciated by the whole world. 

Thus, action of the central government and the action of the Kerala state government are incomparable.