Kerala: Salary, pension of state government employees delayed again

By Aishwarya Nair | First Published Mar 3, 2024, 8:32 AM IST

The salary of the Kerala government employees has not yet been credited for the third day. However, Chief Minister and other ministers have received their monthly salary on time for the month of February.

Thiruvananthapuram: The government employees in Kerala have not received their salary for the third day in a row. Several individuals did not get the money in their bank accounts even though the state treasury approved the pension payout for the month. Chief Minister, cabinet ministers and employees, for example, who have individual accounts in the treasury, received their salaries on time. This is because there is no restriction on withdrawals through Treasury Savings Bank Accounts.

At the same time, majority of the government employees receive their salaries through the Employees' Treasury Savings Bank Accounts. The employees were in crisis after this account was frozen. It is expected that the salary distribution will be completed by tomorrow. If the crisis is not resolved tomorrow, the employees have decided to intensify their protest.

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The problem with salary disbursement is that the money that has reached the ETSB account cannot be withdrawn through the bank. There is no online transaction. About 97000 people were supposed to get a salary on the first day. The ETSB account was frozen due to a cash crunch. In this situation, a hasty move is being made to bring money to the treasury. The funds must be raised by public sector organizations, and they must direct reserves and dividends into the treasury. The government workers' protests have become more intense in response to the delay. The Secretariat Action Council blamed the government's mismanagement for the delayed payment. It was also decided to hold a protest demonstration in the incident.

Opposition leader V D Satheesan said that the state is experiencing a severe financial crisis, and it was a result of the state government's "corruption, mismanagement and extravagance."

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