Don't cut salary, D K Shivakumar tells Karnataka govt

Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) president D K Shivakumar on Tuesday strongly opposed any move to cut salaries of government employees as hinted by Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa.

“My appeal to the CM is, be it government or non-government employees, salaries shouldn’t be cut. We are the ones who’ve told them not to come to work,” Shivakumar told a news conference.

The former minister suggested that the government can stop projects of the public works, irrigation and social welfare departments among others. “No government has reached such bankruptcy that it can’t pay the salaries. The employees may be sitting at home, they have families to look after, rents to pay, loans to repay,” he said.

Shivakumar also alleged that doctors and health workers fighting the Covid-19 did not have enough Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) kits. “The government’s measures to tackle the Covid-19 and other relief moves remain only on paper,” he said.