Early Times Report
Jammu, Jun 2: Lambasting the Jammu and Kashmir government for enhancement in VAT and toll tax, imposition of service tax on Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims, as also its disregard in the state budget for concerns of unemployed, underemployed and daily rated workers, Jammu and Kashmir National Panthers Party today appealed to the people to observe a complete shutdown on June 4 as a mark of protest against the anti-people policies of the coalition government. "Whereas the MLAs were seeking enhancement of their salaries besides increase in their discretionary grant of CDF during discussions in the Assembly, the issues of DRWs, contractual, Anganwari workers, academic arrangement lecturers besides other under employed youth had receded into the oblivion with no takers for the woes of such exploited categories," Harsh Dev Singh, Chairman JKNPP and former Minister here told reporters.
He deplored that while several BJP MLAs had demanded a four times hike in their salaries, the issues of daily rated workers including regularization and enhancement of wages had been consigned to the dustbin.
Condemning the failure of the BJP legislators to get the service tax on Helicopter Services revoked, he regretted that the mandated leaders had miserably failed to represent the cause of the people.
He also regretted that the Service Tax so imposed by the incumbent government would apply not only to the Mata Vaishno Devi pilgrims but Amarnath and Machail Yatra pilgrims as well.
Mr Singh further castigated the government for its failure to enhance the pensions of old aged, handicapped, widows and destitute as promised in the last year's Budget. |
