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I-T department’s temporary staff go without pay for months

Some of these employees have been working for nearly a decade.

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Temporary or contract employees of the income tax department have been working without pay for three to four months as the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has failed to set aside a provision for their salary in its budget.

Despite being aware of the situation, even senior officers of the department are unable to come to the rescue of these employees. Payments are due to around 800 daily wage employees appointed through a contractor. 

Some of these employees have been working for nearly a decade. 

With no other option available, the only thing these employees can do is hope that their dues are cleared soon.  Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax (PCCIT), Jaipur, and the Director General of the investigation wing have many employees who have been putting in extra hours to complete their work but are going without salaries for months. 

These employees are also facing a slew of problems on the personal front. They are grappling to pay off their EMIs and meet routine household expenses. Morever, with the school session about to commence next month, they will also have to pay the annual fees of their children.  Despite facing such a tough situation, they do not wish to come out into open and protest as they fear action by the department.  

The crisis is not limited to Rajasthan. During the income tax employees joint council of action committee’s meeting in Ujjain, it was known that contractual employees in the IT department across the country have not been receiving salaries. Even employees’ unions raised the issue of the temporary employees but to no avail. 

There has been an agitation after which a meagre amount was released after intervention from a CBDT member and partial payment was made. 

But after a while, it was back to square one.According to sources, some employees went to court but due to delay in the legal process, it has been of little help to them. “This issue has been raised at the Income Tax Gazetted Officers’ Association (ITGOA) meet. Since there is no budget for the salaries, this problem recurs. Something has to be done to find a permanent solution,” said Jainarayan Sharma, General Secretary, ITGOA, Rajasthan.  “The Finance ministry and CBDT must take immediate steps to resolve the issue,” said Siyaram Sharma, GS, I-T Employees Federation, Rajasthan said.

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