BENGALURU: Karnataka government on Sunday issued a notification to regularise the services of 11,136 pourakarmikas, a government official said.
Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai said that, a notification to regularise the services of 11,136 pourakarmikas has been issued. Steps will be taken to consider other pourakarmikas in the second and third stages in Bengaluru and others working outside Bengaluru as government employees, as per the official statement.
“The risk fund of pourakarmikas has been hiked to Rs 2,000. The government decided to regularise the services of pourakarmikas as per the recommendation of a committee constituted to study it. The welfare of Dalits and oppressed classes has been the main motto of the government,” Bommai said.
A committee comprising labour leaders, the president of the corporation, and law officers would be constituted for special recruitment of Pourakarmikas, and they would be entitled to all the other benefits they were demanding.
The Pourakarmikas earlier had threatened to resume their agitation to protest demanding to regularise their services. They had called off their protest.
The Pourakarmikas were demanding dignified working conditions, provision of safety equipment, post-retirement benefits, and permanency of jobs, along with other welfare measures. They alleged that the issues have been consistently ignored by the state government.
Earlier in July, Bommai announced that the regularisation of Pourakarmikas has begun in the state.
“The Pourakarmikas are working under very pathetic conditions. Realising their plight, I had announced a Rs 2000 monthly hardship allowance for them in the budget. However, they were demanding regularisation of their services for a long time. Their demand has been fulfilled. The process of regularisation has started,” Bommai had said.
Speaking after naming a park in BBMP limits of Byatarayanapura Assembly constituency as Bhagwan Buddha, Baba Saheb Dr B R Ambedkar Lake Park and inaugurating Ambedkar Bhavan on Sunday, he said, “While Buddha is the symbol of knowledge, he left the kingdom, gained knowledge and spread the message of social and religious values among the people. Ambedkar also tread the path shown by Goutham Buddha, ensured equality for all, created awareness among people, and helped to maintain equality, unity, and democracy in the country. A father of modern India’s democracy, Ambedkar wrote the Constitution for which he must be remembered by everyone.”
“As Father of the Nation, Mahatma Gandhi has rightly said, “remember their tears when you take decisions regarding Dalits and oppressed classes”, he also wanted to do something for SC/ST communities. The ensuing legal battle will be effectively fought. There must not be any delay when making decisions to ensure their constitutional rights. The government will consider all their demands on priority,” he further said.
He also said that the government was committed to providing all basic amenities to Kanshiram Nagar
“You must forget three principles taught by Dr Ambedkar, Education, Unity, and agitation. Education is very important to enjoy your rights. Democracy will get its due importance if there is strength in organisation. The constitution has allowed agitation for any lawful right. Some people are trying to create confusion over the historic decisions taken by the government. We are working as per the Constitution,” Bommai said.
Social Welfare Minister Kota Srinivasa Pujari, Water Resources Minister Govind Karjol and others were present. (ANI)