KRISHNAGIRI: Childline staff working in some districts have alleged that they are yet to receive salary for December and January. However, the Director (in-charge) of the Department of Children Welfare and Special Services, Shilpa Prabhakar Satish, said the issue is limited to Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts and will be rectified within two days.
TNIE spoke to staff of Childline units in Krishnagiri, Dharmapuri and Tiruvannamalai, who say they are struggling for the past two months as salaries have not been disbursed.
Krishnagiri district has eight posts — a coordinator, a counsellor, three supervisors and three case workers. Three staff are allotted for supervisor and case worker roles respectively, on the helpdesk.
A Childline staff from Krishnagiri told TNIE, "We are temporary staff who are paid Rs 18,000-Rs 28,000 based on the designation. Earlier, the Childline functioned under NGOs and was brought under the District Child Protection Unit only in August 2023. With no salaries in December and January, our families are struggling. We travel a lot for case related work and are forced to borrow money for our expenses. We have not been able to celebrate Pongal or Christmas due to lack of money.”
Another Childline staff from Dharmapuri district said, "Most of the staff working in Childline are from a poor economic background, and are dependent on their salary. While the district-level officials are getting their salaries on time, we are not. We lack job safety. Childline staff from Salem and Theni, who were the sole breadwinners, died of health issues but the state government did not provide any compensation. The government should also provide health insurance for our families.”
Dharmapuri district also has eight staff in the Childline unit.
Childline staff from Tiruvannamalai district said, "There are seven members working in our district and one post is vacant. We too did not get salary for December and January. The state government should intervene and credit our salaries regularly."
When contacted, Krishnagiri District Child Protection Officer R Sakthi Kavya told TNIE that the funds for December was already sent to the treasury and there was a glitch while disbursing the salaries. Funds for January are yet to be released.
Tiruvannamalai DCPO Selvi said that the funds for December were already sent to the treasury department, adding that she will check the status.
Shilpa Prabhakar Satish told TNIE, "The issue is only in Krishnagiri and Dharmapuri districts. There is a technical glitch in the payment system. The issue will be rectified within two days. The delay is not due to fund shortage. The glitch has affected many departments, not just Childline.”