Yadav Slams 6th Wage Commission Recommendations
Patna: April 12, 2008
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Railway Foundation Day
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Photo by Shashi Uttam |
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Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief and Railway Minister Lalu Prasad Yadav, on the occasion of the 53rd foundation day of the Indian Railways in Patna on Saturday slammed the recommendations of the 6th Wage Commission saying it would only make the top officials richer while government employees at the lower level will continue to struggle for their survival.
"Under the recommendations in the 6th Wage Commission, top officials would be making more than 12 times than the 4th grade employees and this we cannot allow to happen," said Yadav who also blamed the previous Railway Ministers for imposing freeze on railway hiring and laying off hundreds of thousands of railway employees.
"This freeze has been withdrawn by me and vacant posts have started to fill in large numbers," said the Railway Minister.
The RJD leader also ruled out privatization of the core sector of the Indian Railways, indicating a marked shift from his previous position in which he criticized past Railway Ministers for proposing outsourcing of railway services in any shape or form. Catering, sanitation, and other railway services and amenities have either already been passed on to private players or are in the process of being handed over to them.
The event also featured cultural shows during which Yadav bestowed honors on 377 railway employees while also announcing monetary rewards to individual artists and cultural teams ranging from Rs. 11,000 to Rs. 50,000.
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