Salary distribution to be limited; maximum pay Rs 50,000; full amount for lower wage earners

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Government employees have been given a maximum of Rs 50,000 as the first instalment of their salary, but the government has no idea when it will be able to pay the remaining amount. The full amount has been paid to those who have a salary of less than fifty thousand. Only 97000 people who were supposed to get their salary on the first working day were paid today. Only five hundred crores were needed for this since the amount was reduced to fifty thousand. The second round of distribution is likely to start only after the first instalment is paid to the remaining four lakh employees.

This is the first time in history that the state government is disbursing salaries in instalments. The limit restriction also applies to the maximum pension amount. Salary could not be paid for the first three working days. For those including teachers who get their salary on the second working day, the first instalment will be released tomorrow. Finance Minister KN Balagopal informed that salary distribution will be completed in three to four days and there will be no hindrance in pension distribution.

A high-level meeting attended by top officials of the Finance Department, the Secretary of the Finance Department, the Director of the Treasury, the Expenditure and the Revenue Secretaries, decided to impose a limit on the withdrawal of salary and pension. The government has announced that the restriction will be lifted within a few days. It is indicated that there is a restriction on the withdrawal of deposits in the treasury as well.

3.22 lakh people have been paid salaries: Government

97000 people in some departments including IAS and Police will be paid on the first day, 1.60 lakh people including teachers on the second day and 65000 people including cooperation on the third day.

The government says that after the suspension of salary distribution for the first two days, the salaries of 3.22 lakh people of these three categories have been distributed today. About 1950 crore rupees are needed for this but today less than 500 crore has gone from the treasury accounts to the bank accounts of the employees. That, in turn, is for 97,000 people who should get paid on the first day.

Teachers to be paid tomorrow: 160000

Pay Scale of Teachers: Rs.70000-1.3 lakhs