BANGALORE: The ministerial team formed to monitor the reeling drought in the state will tour affected taluks for three days from April 9, informed Chief Minister DV Sadananda Gowda.
He was addressing the media after meeting a delegation of representatives of the Karnataka State Government Employees’ Association here on Thursday.
“The state government has taken several measures to mitigate the plight of the people in such areas. Already over Rs 360 crore has been released and the relief works are progressing at brisk pace,” he said, adding that he would soon visit Chitradurga district, which has been severely hit by the drought.
The CM sought to affirm that there is no paucity of funds for taking up the relief works, and that the state did not wait for the Centre before releasing them. “Already Rs 30 lakh has been released to all district to dig and rejuvenate borewells,” he added.
Welcoming Yeddyurappa’s tour to drought-hit taluks, Gowda promised that suitable measures will be initiated once he submits his report on the prevailing situation.
Earlier, a delegation of the State Government Employees’ Association led by its president called on the CM and submitted a memorandum to him seeking redressal of anomalies in the Wages Committee Report.
Among the various demands in the memorandum include bridging the gulf in wages paid to central and state government employees, implementation of new wage scales with retrospective effect from July 2011, upward scaling of house rent, city compensatory and additional allowances.
The CM ruled out a transition to five working days a week model in the state, on the lines of that in Central government offices.
"No such proposal before the government exists; neither has the Wages Committee recommended it.”