Cow commission head alleges caste bias

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 31

The chairman of the cow commission has approached the State Scheduled Castes Commission alleging caste-based discrimination by the government.

Sources said Keemti Bhagat, chairman, Punjab Gau-Sewa Commission, gave a representation to the SC commission today alleging he was paid lesser honorarium as compared to chairmen of various other commissions because he belongs to the SC community.

Taking note of the complaint, the SC commission has also issued a notice to the Department of Animal Husbandry.

In his complaint, Bhagat alleged as per the provisions Punjab Gau Sewa Commission Act 2014, being chairman of the commission, he should have been paid Rs1 lakh honorarium per month. “Chairmen of various other commissions in state are being paid honorarium as mentioned in the memorandum,” he said in his representation while attaching a list of 10 other chairmen of different commissions.

He alleged he was being paid Rs25,000 honorarium and equal amount as house rent which was half as compared to the amount mentioned in the Punjab Gau-Sewa Commission Act, 2014.

“I belong to the SC community which is why I am not being paid honorarium as per the Act,” he said in his representation.

He urged the SC commission to issue directions to the officials concerned to pay him honorarium as per the Act.

Rajesh Bagha, chairman, Punjab State Scheduled Castes Commission, confirmed that the commission had received the complaint. “We found merit in his claim and a notice has been issued to the Animal Husbandry Department,” said Bagha.

Aiming at the welfare of cows, the Punjab Gau-Sewa Commission was constituted in 2014 and Keemti Bhagat was appointed as its first chairman in January 2015. The government is spending around Rs30 lakh annually to run the commission.

"There is no doubt that I am being discriminated against because I belong to the Scheduled Caste community. The government is not ready to pay me whatever they have mentioned in the act," said Bhagat.

He said before going to the SC commission he had given two representations to the Animal Husbandry Department but nobody paid heed.