Author: admin2

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Hon. Chairman Sir, thousands of contract workers at BSNL in different telephone circles across the country are in distress. Sir, they are facing acute hardship due to non-payment or irregular payment of wages. They are also facing loss of livelihood because of certain decisions made by the management of Bharat Sanchar Nigam Limited.

Sir, in the Kolkata circle alone, 4500 workers have not been paid wages for the last three months and in West Bengal circle 1500 workers are suffering because they have not been paid their wages for the last five months. Sir, these workers have not been paid wages because ostensibly the reason is lack of funds.

Sir, even if the wages are being paid they are not been dispersed in a time bound manner and they are often even less than the minimum wage limit. Sir, the management is now planning to change the contract workers to curb the expenses of the organisation.

Sir, this has led to the dual problem of job insecurity and non-payment of wages. So, such kind of treatment meted out to the workers is both disheartening and demoralising. It will have cascatic effect not only on them but on the dependant’s family members also.

Sir, there is no doubt that BSNL is facing a cash crunch should cut down on expenditure but Sir, this exercise of retrenchment should not be extended to the contract labourers.

As in 2015 and in 2017, Sir, on the intervention of Trinamool Congress Sir, the wages were brought up to date. I would request the government to bring the wages upto date immediately for the workers.

And Sir, on one side the Prime Minister is saying ‘we are all going for Digital India’ but the BSNL employees who are behind this ‘Digital India’ are suffering the most. I would urge the government to take immediate steps so that their wages are paid and made upto date.

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Sir, there are many communities in Darjeeling Hills of West Bengal. Among them, the Hon. Chief Minister of West Bengal Government had recommended to the Centre hat 11 communities be given the tribal status. These communities have not yet been given the tribal status, Sir.

Before the 2014, Lok Sabha elections, the current Prime Minister – then Chief Minister of Gujarat – had come to Siliguri and assured the people of the Hills that the dream of Gorkhas was his dream. But even after four and a half years, the demand of Gorkhas, the sentiments of Gorkhas and 11 other communities remain unfulfilled. We want the Centre to give us the tribal status.

Also Sir, the Central Government is also not practicing federalism. The Centre is not completing the unfinished projects. Many works are pending. For example, the proposal to change the name of the State to Bangla is still not done.

Sir, funds are owed (to the State). Lastly, I want to mention that political violence is sponsored by them. So, I would like to thank you, Sir. Hope the Central Government will look into the matter soon.

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Thank you Sir, for giving me this opportunity to speak. Sir, as we are seeing that Hon’ble Prime Minister is sending cards regarding Ayushmaan Bharat though there are significant budgetary contributions from the States as well. Also, there are so many fallacies in that particular proposed scheme and one of them is irrational package rate.

Sir, you must admit that different patients suffering from the same disease might not present with the same manifestation. This is because of the associated complications and the associated other co-morbid factors. But if you fix a particular rate for a particular disease, then what will happen? Sir, the same patient who is suffering from a particular disease with associated morbidities, when he or she will be going to a particular hospital, the doctor of that particular hospital will be refusing patients because they will understand that will not get the extra amount of money.

So, indirectly again it will be worsening the doctor-patient relationship and the incidents of violence which are taking place everywhere will be increasing. So, the Government must give due importance to this particular factor before fixing up this package rate, Sir.