Siddaramaiah also announced that pourakarmikas would be given a cashless health card adding that the issue regarding their validity would also be solved.
Published Apr 08, 2025 | 8:02 AM ⚊ Updated Apr 08, 2025 | 9:00 AM
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah inaugurating the 25th anniversary and felicitation function by Karnataka Rajya Nagara Palike, Nagar Sabhegala Maha Sangha.
Synopsis: The Karnataka chief minister announced that the jobs of pourakarmikas (municipal workers) serving on a contract basis in various municipalities in the state will be regularised, effective from 1 May.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced on Monday, 7 April, that the jobs of pourakarmikas (municipal workers) serving on a contract basis in various municipalities in the state will be regularised, effective from 1 May.
Siddaramaiah announced while inaugurating the 25th anniversary and felicitation function by Karnataka Rajya Nagara Palike, Nagar Sabhegala Maha Sangha at Palace Grounds in Bengaluru.
This marks the end of the 25 years of struggle of the pourakarmikas, led by former Safai Karmachari Commission chairman and former Mysuru mayor Narayana.
The chief minister highlighted the abolishment of the contract system for municipal workers.
“Our government has abolished the contract system of civic workers and implemented a system of paying salaries from the municipalities directly. The government also provided 524 houses to pourakarmikas in Mysuru,” he said and recalled that the salary of civic workers was increased from ₹7,000 to ₹17,000.
Referring to 12th-century reformer Basavanna’s words, Siddaramaiah said, “Work is Worship, and it is rare to see other sections or socially and economically well-placed persons take up the pourakarmika jobs, hence it is the responsibility and duty of the government to solve their problems and fulfil their rightful demands.”
Noting that there is no difference between the work done by the Chief Secretary and pourakarmikas, he said: “All services are sacred. It is not right to treat pourakarmikas in a humiliating manner. They deserve respect and dignity. For this reason, their service will be made permanent.”
Besides making their jobs permanent, Siddaramaiah also announced that pourakarmikas would be given a cashless health card adding that the issue regarding their validity would also be solved.
He maintained that the children of pourakarmikas should not do the same work. “Your children should go to other jobs. That is how you should grow up. You should come into the mainstream of society, he said.
Siddaramaiah added that 1,000 pourakarmikas are sent on foreign trips yearly to develop better knowledge about waste segregation and disposal.
Meanwhile, speaking at the civil servants’ conference, Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said that ₹500 crore has been allocated for the payment of salaries of pourakarmikas in the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) budget for this year.
He said ₹107 crore has been allocated for providing pension for them.
“It has been decided to allocate ₹10 lakh to the kin of pourakarmikas who lost their lives while on the job and to provide them a pension of ₹6,000. ₹5 crore has been allocated for the distribution of shoes, gloves and other equipment, ₹6 crore for uniforms, ₹6 crore for reimbursement of children’s education fees, ₹4 crores for their healthcare, ₹30 crore separately for single households. In all ₹730 crore have been allocated for the welfare of pourakarmikas,” Shivakumar said.
Meanwhile, Narayana noted that the development was the result of 25 years of struggle.
“Today’s announcement has made me immensely happy. After walking from pillar to post, appealing to different chief ministers and governments over 25 years, the jobs of 29,000 out of the total 39,000 pourakarmikas in the state have been made permanent over the years. Last time, when we protested continuously for four days, around 12,800 pourakarmika jobs were made permanent. On 1 May, the BBMP will be issuing them certificates for making their jobs permanent. Another 10,000 pourakarmikas jobs have yet to be declared permanent,” Narayana said.
“Besides this, around 1,280 scavengers who work in manholes in Belagavi, Vijayapura, Hubballi-Dharwad, Tumakuru, and Mysuru serving on a contract basis will become permanent workers,” he added.
Narayana also said it has been decided to credit the salary of around 6,800 drivers and cleaners who collect garbage directly to their bank accounts.
“Currently, the municipalities pay the salaries to the contractors. The contractors would keep a certain percentage of money and then pay the salaries of drivers and cleaners. However, now the municipalities will pay salaries directly to the cleaners and drivers. So, in a way, they are not on a contract basis anymore. As a symbol of commitment, on 1 May, 12,800 people working for the BBMP will be given certificates of regularisation of jobs,” he said.
Maitreyi K, an advocate with Alternative Law Forum who has worked with the unions of pourakarmikas for long, said, “The credit for whatever happened today must go to the pourakarmikas. They came together, agitated and struggled to get their demands fulfilled. The process of making them permanent is under process. Hopefully, it gets completed soon so that they get the necessary benefits.”
(Edited by Muhammed Fazil.)
