Karnataka likely to increase Interim Relief to 15%, Associations demand effect from 1st April

The State Government Employees’ Association president L Byrappa on Thursday claimed that Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda had assured to consider their demand to increase the interim relief announced under the Sixth Pay Commission from 12.5 per cent to 15 per cent.

Speaking to reporters after meeting the chief minister, he said the Association had sought at least 20 per cent hike, but the chief minister said the government was not in a position to accept their demand in view of the drought affecting many parts of the State. The chief minister finally agreed to increase it to 15 per cent, he added. However, there is no official word on this. The employees, Byrappa said, were not happy with the immediate relief of 12.5 per cent hike in the basic salary announced by the government on the occasion of Kannada Rajyotsava. The Association had initially demanded interim relief of 30 per cent as there was huge difference between the salary of the State government and Central government employees. On the demand for giving effect to the hike with retrospective effect from April 1 this year, he said the chief minister has sought three days time to look into it. Source : Deccan Herald