Rs 5.98 lakh pay: Karnataka Guarantee panel head gets 2x CS

Bengaluru: Karnataka Guarantee Schemes Implementation Authority chairperson HM Revanna gets a monthly paycheck of Rs 5.98 lakh, the government has revealed. 

To put this in perspective, the chief secretary, the administrative head of the state, has a fixed pay of Rs 2.25 lakh per month, and her gross salary, inclusive of various perks, may cross Rs 3 lakh. 

In February alone, the government spent Rs 6.51 lakh on 12 personnel in Revanna’s office, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah told the Legislative Assembly in a written reply. 

When contacted, Revanna, who holds a Cabinet rank, said: “The sum being provided is the uniform remuneration paid for all chairpersons of different government bodies. So, this isn’t a specific provision or grant created for the post of chairperson of the Guarantee Implementation Authority.” 

The Authority, created in January 2024, is tasked with overseeing the implementation of the five flagship ‘guarantee’ schemes of the Congress government. In 2026-27, the government has allocated Rs 51,286 crore for the five schemes. Since 2023, the government has spent over Rs 1.21 lakh crore on them. 

The Authority has five vice-chairpersons, each having the status of a minister of state — SR Patil, Suraj Hegde, Pushpa Amarnath, SR Mehroz Khan and Dinesh Gooligowda. Each gets a monthly salary of Rs 4.43 lakh. They have 49 staff working in their offices, resulting in an expenditure of Rs 20.63 lakh in February. 

Besides the state committee, the government also has district-level and taluk-level panels. The district committee chairperson’s salary is
Rs 40,000 and the vice-chairperson’s is Rs 10,000.

The taluk chairperson’s salary is Rs 25,000 and the person heading the committee in Bengaluru is getting
Rs 40,000. 

These figures could reignite a fresh debate on government expenditure. The issue was raised in the Assembly last year, with the Opposition charging that Congress workers getting a government salary amounted to misuse of taxpayers’ money. 

In March 2020, as leader of the Opposition, Siddaramaiah warned then Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa of a “dark” future for Karnataka.

“We need to collectively look at revival — how we can reduce committed expenditure, revenue expenditure and ensure there’s no revenue deficit,” Siddaramaiah had said.

In the ongoing session of the legislature, Siddaramaiah is expected to address concerns over rising expenditures during his reply to the debate on the 2026-27 Budget, which he presented on March 6. 

(Sujay BM contributed to reporting)