SALAR NEWS

DK Shivakumar announces hike in allowances for pourakarmikas

Shivakumar said the government would also provide Rs 7.5 lakh for house construction for civic workers and build a dedicated ‘Poura Bhavan’.

PTI

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The Chief Minister said the government was committed to permanent employment and a dignified life for civic workers in the BWSSB and water supply department (Mohammed Asad)

Bengaluru, 25 September

Chief Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday announced that the government would soon issue an order raising civic workers’ (pourakarmika) allowances, including doubling their breakfast allowance from Rs 35 to Rs 70.

Addressing the Civic Workers' Day celebrations here, he described civic workers as "true karma yogis" and frontline workers in the cleanliness drive.

“Civic workers are people who find God in their labour,” he said.

He urged civic workers not to feel “inferior or mentally dejected” because of their occupation and said they should take pride in serving society.

The government was also committed to providing permanent employment and a dignified life to workers in the Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and the water supply department, he said.

Shivakumar also said that the Congress had regularised 12,609 civic workers after coming to power in 2023 under then CM Siddaramaiah, and had appointed 10,000 civic workers in 2017.

"We ordered a salary of Rs 40,000 for you. Around 6,000 people have been appointed in local bodies, and we have discussed making further appointments," Shivakumar said.

He added that the government had decided to provide Rs 7.5 lakh for the construction of houses for civic workers. Shivakumar announced that a dedicated building for civic workers would be constructed and said work on the 'Poura Bhavan' would begin within the next two months.

The government also plans to establish residential schools in urban areas on the lines of Karnataka Public Schools (KPS) for the children of civic workers, Shivakumar said. “We want your children to become IAS and KAS officers”.

CABINET SUB COMMITTEE

Shivakumar said a Cabinet sub-committee would be constituted to examine and address the various demands of civic workers. The sub-committee would comprise Social Welfare Minister K H Muniyappa, Urban Development Minister Yathindra Siddaramaiah and Muzrai Minister Basavanthappa, he said, adding that decisions would be taken after obtaining the Finance Department's concurrence.