Amritsar, September 9 (Manjit Singh Mehra / Harpinder Soni): Former Punjab BJP State General Secretary Jagmohan Singh Raju (Retd. IAS) has questioned Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over the implementation of the “No Work, No Pay” principle for government employees who remain absent from duty without permission.
In a letter addressed to the Chief Minister, Jagmohan Singh Raju asked whether this principle was meant only for government employees or whether it would also apply to ministers and MLAs of the Aam Aadmi Party government.
Raju said that the salaries of government employees, ministers and MLAs are all paid from taxpayers’ money. He questioned whether elected representatives who remain unavailable to the public and fail to perform their responsibilities should also be held accountable under the same principle.
He urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann to seek direct feedback from the public regarding how many days ministers and MLAs remain present in their respective constituencies, how accessible they are to the people and how actively they work to resolve public issues.
According to Raju, representatives who remain continuously absent and fail to fulfil their responsibilities towards the people should also face deductions in their salaries.
Citing Amritsar East as an example, Raju alleged that residents of the constituency are facing several civic and public issues. He pointed to damaged roads, sewerage overflow, problems with water supply, concerns over drug abuse and what he described as a worrying law-and-order situation.
He also raised concerns regarding the opening of liquor outlets in residential areas and alleged that economically weaker children were not receiving benefits under Section 12(1)(c) of the Right to Education Act, which provides for eligible children to receive admission opportunities in private schools.
Raju said that several such issues continue to affect residents, while, according to his allegation, the local MLA remains unavailable.
He said that people do not elect an MLA merely to win an election. According to him, voters elect their representative for five years to remain connected with the constituency, become the voice of the people and work towards resolving their problems.
Jagmohan Singh Raju further told Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that the “No Work, No Pay” principle had been introduced by his own government and, therefore, should first be applied within the government itself.
He demanded that the principle should be implemented fairly and should begin with the leaders and elected representatives of the government.
KL JIT WALIA
