THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The cabinet which convened here Wednesday proposed to collect six days' salary from the monthly salary of government employees to meet the financial burden incurred by the spread of COVID-19. It was Finance Minister Dr Thomas Isaac who introduced this proposal instead of a month's salary as salary challenge.

This proposal was following the assessment that the salary challenge model implemented during floods time turned to be ineffective. Six days salary of each month will be collected in five months. No employee will be exempted from the salary challenge.

The government will obtain an amount equal to a month’s salary when six days salary are collected in five months. The government decided to use this for preventive measures of COVID-19.

The government assess that salary collected in this manner will not burden the employees. Urgent financial aid is needed to defend corona. The government reviewed that pay cut for more months will not be beneficial. Another proposal is that once the financial situation improves, the salary collected will be given back to the employees later.

Part time employees drawing below Rs 20,000 can take a decision of their own. Pensioners have not been included in the salary challenge.