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No reply on retirement age reduction due to budget: Sinha

Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha on Tuesday said he would not like to reply on the question of reduction of retirement age of central government employees due to presentation of General Budget on Wednesday.

To a query raised during the question hour in the Rajya Sabha by TDP member Lakshmi Prasad on whether there was any move to bring down the age of retirement of Central Government Employees from 60 to 58, Sinha refused to reply.

"The Expenditure Reforms Commission has not made any such recommendation. I am constrained today in replying to it", Sinha told the member.

In reply to another query by Santosh Bagrodia (Cong) on when a decision on the Expenditure Reforms Commission (ERC) report would be taken, Sinha again said he will not be able to reply to the question in the wake of budget presentation tomorrow.

He also said the government had taken steps for employment generation.

He said the role of the central government was to serve the people and not itself.

In reply to a query from C M Ibrahim (JD) on whether the Expenditure Reforms Commission had made any recommendations on reducing Central ministers, Sinha said "the ERC recommendations do not consist anything on facilities for MPs", evoking laughter in the House.

The Finance Minister said the third report of the Expenditure Reforms Commission is under government's consideration.

To a query raised during the question hour in the Rajya Sabha by TDP member Lakshmi Prasad on whether there was any move to bring down the age of retirement of Central Government Employees from 60 to 58, Sinha refused to reply.

"The Expenditure Reforms Commission has not made any such recommendation. I am constrained today in replying to it", Sinha told the member.

Budget 2001

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