Guv promulgates ordinance on salary as per govt request

Disbursal Of Govt Employees’ Wages To Begin From May 4

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Thiruvananthapuram:1.5.2020

In a huge relief to the cash-strapped state government, governor Arif Mohammed Khan on Thursday gave his stamp of approval to the request for promulgating an ordinance that gives legal credence to the government decision to defer a portion of government employees’ salary for the next five months.

Though there was lack of agreement among legal experts regarding the legal strength of the ordinance, the governor promulgated the ordinance without out raising questions. The draft ordinance was approved by the cabinet on Wednesday as an emergency measure to circumvent the high court order that questioned the government’s right to defer salary payment on the basis of an executive order.

Welcoming the promulgation of the ordinance as requested by the government, finance minister T M Thomas Isaac said the salary disbursement of government employees would start on May 4. “Priority would be given to the salary disbursal of healthcare workers and police personnel. The approval to employees who fall under various other categories would follow,” Isaac said.

The ordinance gives government the right to set aside up to 25% of the salary of government employees, teachers and others employed in institutions that receive government grant. The government, however, now plans to set aside only 20% of the salary, by deferring six days’ payment from the monthly wages for five months.

Isaac repeated that the government was bound to return the money set aside from the salary of employees. “If the economic condition improves significantly in the coming months, the amount would soon be given back in cash or by merging the same in provident fund. The deferred payment would be kept in a separate account in government treasury and the same would be transferred to CMDRF. A total of Rs 2,500 crore would be thus transferred to CMDRF over the next five months,” he said.

The governor has also given approval to the ordinance that allows the government to deduct 30% of salary/honorarium of people’s representatives including ministers, MLAs and elected members of local bodies.

Meanwhile, employees’ organizations owing allegiance to UDF and BJP are planning to challenge the ordinance in the high court.

Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan with a mask at his press meet on Thursday