Pre-poll gift: Karnataka staff set for 24-30% hike, one more day off

TNN
January 27, 2018

Bengaluru, Jan 27: Come February, government employees in Karnataka are expected to receive a pre-poll bonanza from the Congress-led administration. The state government is likely to announce a 24-30% pay hike for its 6.2 lakh employees and pensioners in the budget, and introduce holidays on alternate Saturdays in government offices.

The decision is a bid to address demands for a five-day week and a pay scale on par with that for central government employees. Currently, state government employees have a six-day week with an additional off every second Saturday of the month. The government will now likely make the fourth Saturday a holiday too, in tune with the schedule for nationalised banks.

"To ensure this does not lead to a decrease in work hours, the government is toying with the idea of extending office hours on the first and third Saturdays," said a senior official of the state department of personnel and administrative services (DPAR).

Responding to demands from employee associations, chief minister Siddaramaiah had, in the last budget, announced a committee headed by retired IAS officer M R Srinivasa Murthy to recommend increase in salaries and pensions. "We are in the process of finalising the report... We will submit it soon since the CM fixed January 31 as the deadline," Murthy said.

While government employees are hoping the CM opts for a hike in the 30-35% slab, sources said the government may go for a 24-30% increase. The move is estimated to cost the exchequer Rs 10,800 crore. At the fag end of the tenure of Karnataka's previous administration, led by BJP, the then chief minister D V Sadananda Gowda had hiked pay by 22%. "We cannot afford to offer anything less than what BJP offered," said a senior state minister, an indication that the new hike would be higher.

Comments

Suresh Kumar
 - 
Saturday, 27 Jan 2018

Fighting for survival-----WIthdrawing all criminal cases against muslims------now pay hike of government employees--------more freebies--------nothing from his pocket all government money----------freebies is nothing but bribe------they don''t have anything to show in terms of development -------compenesating for it

Babu Gowda
 - 
Saturday, 27 Jan 2018

Blanket bribes to the bureaucracy that already is used to taking bribes for decades! Typical elitist Congress politics to retain their strangle hold by paying the least deserving with money looted from the most deserving.

Ravi
 - 
Saturday, 27 Jan 2018

Congress Governments are habitual offenders - when they know they are not coming back to power, they destroy the financial conditions so that the next government is unable to deliver. MODI & Vajpayee has to face the same in center, and all state governments that changed over to BJP from congress have to undergo the same torture.

Unknown
 - 
Saturday, 27 Jan 2018

Shameless siddu and media. These people blamed Jayalalitha while she was giving "pre-poll gifts"

Naveen Poojary
 - 
Saturday, 27 Jan 2018

Govt making them again and again laziest people. Now they are getting good salary+incentives. And for winning in poll, given again

Sangeeth
 - 
Saturday, 27 Jan 2018

Suppose, it was given by BJP govt then CD will report it as bribe. #StopDoubleStandard

Yogesh
 - 
Saturday, 27 Jan 2018

This is not gift. This is bribe for electing him again. Shame on you Siddu

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coastaldigest.com news network
July 24,2020

Bengaluru, Jul 24: A government doctor who was turned away by three private hospitals because he could not produce a coronavirus test result passed away today in Bengaluru. Dr Manjunath, who was a frontline COVID-19 doctor, was allegedly turned away by hospitals when he was extremely ill and struggling to breathe.

Dr Manjunath worked in the state Health and Family Welfare department and was based in Ramanagara district, around 50 km from Bengaluru.

D Randeep, a Special Officer with the Bengaluru municipal body BBMP, said that the hospitals that had refused to admit Dr Manjunath would be reported to the health department.

In June-end, Dr Manjunath went to Rajashekhar Hospital in JP Nagar, BGS Global Hospital in Kengeri and Sagar hospital in Kumaraswamy Layout. All three demanded to see his COVID-19 test result but those were still not in at the time, according to his family. His brother-in-law Nagendra is also a doctor with BBMP and in charge of allotting hospital beds, yet he was completely helpless when it came to his own relative.

He was finally admitted to Sagar hospital on June 25 when his family sat in protest on the footpath outside the Dayananda Sagar campus. He was placed on ventilator and later shifted to the Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute, where he died earlier today. The hospital says Dr Manjunath was discharged on July 9 because he wanted plasma therapy.

Six members of his family, including a 14-year-old, tested COVID-19 positive. Most of them have recovered.

Bengaluru has seen several cases of patients being turned away from hospitals in the city. Hospitals say they need Covid test results to know whether to admit patients in the coronavirus ICU or in the general section and to understand treatment protocol.

Mr Randeep said hospitals have been instructed to admit patients even without such a certificate. Notices have been sent to hospitals that fail to comply. The OPD of two private hospitals was sealed for 48 hours when they refused to admit a patient.

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News Network
June 23,2020

Bengaluru, Jun 23: In an attempt to avoid exploitation of patients affected with coronavirus, the Karnataka government on Tuesday announced fixing charges that could be collected from patients by the private hospitals for treatment in the State.

There are now two sets of rates for patients--those who are referred by public health facilities and those who approach private hospitals directly.

According to the notification issued by State Chief Secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar on Tuesday, 50 per cent of the total beds in private hospitals having facilities to treat Covid-19 patients shall be reserved for the treatment of patients referred by public health authorities.

This will include the high-dependency unit and ICU (intensive care unit) beds both with and without ventilators. The hospitals may utilise the remaining Covid beds for admitting Covid-19 patients privately.

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News Network
August 7,2020

Bengaluru, Aug 7: Amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Karnataka, the state's health department issued fresh guidelines for the disposal of bodies of COVID patients.

"Although an increased risk of COVID infection from a dead body to health workers or family members who follow standard precautions while handling the body is unlikely, the lack of scientific data requires the utmost care to avoid the inadvertent spread of COVID-19 during these times," the statement from the health department's press release read, emphasising on the dignity of the dead and the religious and cultural tradition.

The 23-page press release elaborated on guidelines regarding testing, handling of dead bodies and other specificities in relation to the management of COVID-19 bodies.

"Testing should not be insisted in every case of death, but only when they have a recorded history of influenza-like symptoms. The body should be handed over to the family members/ relatives in a dignified manner immediately after swab collection and hospitals should provide handouts with a list of dos and don'ts in English and Kannada laying down relevant information," the statement said.

It added, "At the mortuary, health care workers, mortuary staff and the family of the deceased body shall not come in direct contact with the dead body and must wear full personal protective equipment (PPE). If the family or relative are for any reason unable to cremate or bury the body, the local health authority shall arrange for the dignified last rites as per the religious traditions of the family."

Regarding autopsies (post mortem) on COVID-19 bodies, the state department said that they should be avoided, except in necessary circumstances.

The statement also gave detailed guidelines regarding the appropriate recording of COVID-19 deaths in line with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) guidelines.

Additionally, the health department made a statement about the admission procedure for COVID positive patients referred by other district administrations saying, "It is now mandatory for all the referrals from the BBMP admission and discharge of COVID positive patients to be done through the online COVID Hospital Bed Management System (CHBMS)."

The state's count of coronavirus cases was 1,51,449 in the past 24 hours.

So far, a total of 2,804 people have died due to COVID-19 in the state, while the average recovery rate in Karnataka is 49.3 per cent.

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