Kolkata, 18 May (H.S.) : Ahead of the second cabinet meeting of the BJP government in West Bengal, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday held a ‘Janata Darbar’ at the party office in Salt Lake and directly listened to public grievances for the first time after assuming office.

The Chief Minister reached the party office around 9:30 am, where he was welcomed by party workers and supporters. BJP MP Locket Chatterjee was also present during the programme.

According to sources, a large number of job aspirants arrived at the Janata Darbar on the very first day to present their concerns. Suvendu Adhikari listened to the complaints and instructed officials to note them down. After the programme, the Chief Minister was scheduled to head to Nabanna for several important administrative meetings.

Sources said key issues likely to be discussed in Monday’s cabinet meeting include the RG Kar case, crimes against women, institutional corruption, the pay commission and pending dearness allowance dues of government employees. Administrative matters such as land transfer to the Border Security Force may also come up for discussion.

Notably, during the first cabinet meeting held last week, the state government took several major decisions, including joining central schemes such as Ayushman Bharat, increasing the upper age limit for government job applications by five years and launching the ‘Annapurna Bhandar’ scheme.

The Chief Minister has already stated that the government will prioritize good governance and security while ensuring the benefits of the “double-engine government” reach the people.

Meanwhile, state government employees are also closely watching the cabinet meeting. The Supreme Court had earlier directed the previous state government to clear pending dearness allowance dues of employees. However, the full payment could not be completed within the stipulated time. While a portion of the arrears from 2016 to 2019 was paid, dues from 2008 to 2016 are still pending.

After the formation of the new government, employees are hopeful that a decision regarding full payment of pending DA may now be taken.

Sources in the Finance Department said the new government is also seriously considering parity in dearness allowance and pay structure with the Centre. The BJP had promised implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission in its election manifesto. Employees believe that implementation of the commission could significantly increase their salaries. As a result, both government employees and the general public are closely watching the outcome of Monday’s cabinet meeting.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Priyanka Pandey