By doing that, the employees in the banking concerns as well as the employees in other Government Departments will be benefitted to a large extent, and the Government are not going to lose anything at present. They will have to pay either in the form of basic pay or basic pay plus dearness allowance, the same amount, but certain benefits that will accrue will be denied. Mr. Justice Desai, in his report, has stated clearly that a rise in prices will have a greater adverse effect on the lower income groups, working in the banks as well as in other Government Departments. That is why, he has evolved a formula that for a particular class of employees, bank employees, a certain proportion or ratio should be calculated in arriving at the dearness allowance. For the category of clerical staff, one-seventh of the basic pay of the bank employees will be raised in the dearness allowance for a rise of every ten points in the cost of living. What I would like to impress on the Government is that the bulk of employees are there and the cost of living will have great adverse effects on this large chunk of bank employees. It is a welcome step by the Government that in this crisis he will be right person to address the burning problems of millions of our countrymen. We understand that he has to work within the limitations of the constitutional framework, particularly, the convention. There is no denying that it is a Vote on Account. But in the same Government, in its Railway Budget, the Railway Minister presented what goes far beyond Vote on Account. But the Finance Minister tried to present as if he cannot do much because it is only a Vote on Account. But he has mentioned that these are extraordinary times and extraordinary times requires warrant, extraordinary measures. He could have also done something reasonable what was possible within the limitation, though he cannot tinker with the revenue nor with the expenditure in a big way.
