May 21 2008
Atomic, space scientists upset with pay structure by SCPC!
After armed forces personnel rejected their low pay scale, atomic and space scientists are now upset with their “very low” pay structure recommended by the pay commission. The scientists rejected it outright and also sought appointment with the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to put their demands.
“In any case, the recommendations are no where comparable with it and it-enabled sectors and we summarily reject the pay structure recommended by SCPC,” president of Confederation of Atomic and Space Scientists and Technologists (COAST), Josheph Winston of Indira Gandhi Centre said in a release.
On May 17 the coast met to review the commission’s recommendations at Kalpakkam in Tamil Nadu and concluded that the salary scales recommended by the Sixth Central Pay Commission (SCPC) reflected its “appalling attitude” towards the scientific community not tenable with the growth of the country’s high-tech departments. The scientists and technologists felt that country’s thrust towards the science and technology was reflected in the earlier 3rd and 4th Pay Commissions, but took a back seat in the 5th and 6th.
Singh, who is also the minister-in-charge of their departments, for help in rectifying the “anomalies” is expected to sort aout the problem.
“In the long run, such an apathetic attitude of SCPC would lead to total collapse of scientific and technological base in India along with a complete halt to the indigenous technology,” coast’s vice-president R Rama Varma, VSSC (Trivandrum) said.
The coast has demanded that extension of services to the scientists and medical specialists, recommended by SCPC, should be uniform for all scientists of DOS and DAE as these premier research institutions functions with robust knowledge base.
The poor package will not attract the new scientists and will result into brain drain.
