Karnataka village assistants hold sit in, demand salary hike

NT Correspondent

Bengaluru: Village Assistants working under the Karnataka revenue department have organised a sit-in to protest against the alleged ‘inadequate’ monthly honorarium of Rs 13,000 being given to them by the state government.

“The government has been discriminating against us village assistants as "D" grade employees,” the workers said in a statement. A committee was earlier set up to find whether the services of these workers were essential to the department.

The committee has since concluded that the post is essential leading to the government’s decision to make their jobs permanent. However, so far the basic pay has not been fixed nor has any pay revision been undertaken, the protesters said. Over 10,450 village assistants’ posts in the Karnataka revenue department were created during 1977-78.

The protesters have been serving in the revenue department for the last 14 years. Since then, they were receiving a monthly salary of Rs 100. The honorarium has been revised to Rs 13,000 per month which is inadequate, claimed the workers.