The government is contemplating another Salary Challenge to mobilise funds for COVID-19 containment measures by collecting one month’s salary of government employees and teachers in view of a financial crisis facing the exchequer.
Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan held separate parleys with a few service organisations on Monday to know their opinion on Salary Challenge 2. The maiden effort to mobilise resources for flood relief work in the State had invited criticism.
While some service organisations expressed reservation and demanded audit of the funds that reached the exchequer, the government received a shot in the arm with Leader of the Opposition Ramesh Chennithala coming out openly in support of the proposal.
“There is nothing wrong in government employees cooperating with the Salary Challenge,” he said. It should be looked into whether one month’s salary should be collected as sections like last grade employees will face difficulty, with their salaries being low. The government should take a call after holding talks with all service organisations, Mr. Chennithala said.
Only 57.33% of the government employees had participated in the salary challenge for flood relief by donating a month’s salary to the Chief Minister’s Distress Relief Fund. The drive yielded ₹488 crore, whereas the government had expected to garner ₹2,211 crore if all the government employees and teachers had participated in the challenge. Pro-UDF service organisations and Mr. Chennithala had opposed the move.
