ST staff funds row: Barge faults Fadnavis, praises Ajit Pawar over payments to corporation

Politics has heated up over funds for ST employees. Shrirang Barge, general secretary of the Maharashtra ST Karmachari Congress, has said that although ST earnings had fallen to zero during the Covid pandemic, the then Finance Minister, the late Ajit Pawar, did not leave the employees helpless. According to him, current Finance Minister Devendra Fadnavis has never given the ST corporation its full funds, even after demands were made.

Barge said ST buses had stopped running because of Covid and income had stopped completely. Even in that difficult time, Ajit Pawar sanctioned a fund of Rs 4,000 crore for employees' salaries. But since the finance department came under Fadnavis, ST has not received the full amount it sought, Barge said.

Citing figures, Barge claimed that between November 2025 and August 2026 the corporation needed Rs 5,944 crore for salaries. It actually received only Rs 4,765.85 crore from the government. This left a shortfall of about Rs 1,178.15 crore.

Diwali is near and employees are not getting their dues. For this reason, various employee organisations have given notice of agitation. Barge alleged that the finance department is continuously cutting the ST corporation's funds, leaving it in financial distress.

Barge said Ajit Pawar had taken responsibility for ST employees' salaries despite the halt in earnings. Under Fadnavis, the full fund is not being released even on demand, so employees have to struggle for money that is rightfully theirs, he said.

He also said ST is the lifeline of ordinary people, yet the financial needs of its employees are being ignored. It is not right for employees' dues to remain stuck because of a shortage of funds. Barge warned that if the situation continues, the government will have to face serious consequences.

The questions of ST employees' salaries, the difference in increments, provident fund (PF), gratuity and other liabilities are being raised continuously. If the corporation does not get financial help in time, the employees' difficulties could increase further. Employee organisations are therefore demanding that the ST corporation be given the necessary funds and that employees' pending dues be paid. Citing the distribution of funds during the Covid period, Barge has questioned the current government's allocation of funds.