HP budget session: Cong stages walkout over ‘exploitation’ of outsourced staff

SPEAKER REFUSES TO ADMIT OPPOSITION’S QUESTION, CM BLAMES FORMER CONG GOVT

Shimla:pandemonium ensued in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Wednesday after speaker Vipin Singh Parmar disallowed the opposition from raising a supplementary question on the disparity in salaries of outsourced employees in the state. The Congress, subsequently, staged a walkout in protest.

Congress legislator from Barsar, Inder Dutt Lakhanpal, had raised the query.

Congress and BJP leaders, thereafter, traded accusations over the government’s hiring of outsourced employees. While the Congress alleged that the said employees were being exploited, chief minister Jai Ram Thakur said it was the Congress government that had made hollow promises to outsourced employees during the fag end of its tenure.

Dismissing the question, Parmar proceeded with question hour. Agitated Congress members stood on their benches and started raising slogans. They were countered by the ruling party. The CM said that the opposition had made it a habit to stage walkouts and attributed the incident to the Congress’ frustration over party leader Jyotiraditya Scindia’s departure from the grand old party.

Lakhanpal wanted to know the steps taken by the government to safeguard the future of outsourced employees. “Outsourced employees work for 12 to 15 hours a day for paltry wages of ₹3,000.” said Lakhanpal.

The CM said the outsourced staff were employees of service provider companies and not the government and thus recruitment and promotion rules did not apply to them . He said there was a provision in the government’s agreement with service provider companies that the employees be paid honorarium as per the Minimum Wages Act.

“During the tenure of the incumbent state government, the wages of daily-wage labourers have been increased three times. The government is ensuring that outsourced employees are not being exploited.”