Submit list of staff for corona special pay, Dept secretaries told

The state government which has planned to encourage COVID-19 frontline workers by offering one-month special pay has invited the department secretaries and the medical heads in the state to send their proposals along with the list of eligible government employees.

Despite severe cash crunch, the state is taking several steps to keep the government employees morale high. Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in March announced one-month special pay for those performing COVID-19 duty.

A circular was recently sent to the department heads seeking their proposals, a government official said adding, identifying the medical staff and government workers on duty is a detailed work. The list after the concurrence of finance and personnel department will be cleared for release of special salaries. The payments to contractors are also pending and now with the resumption of government departments with 30 per cent staff it may be attended to. The state is looking forward for payment of property taxes, electricity bills and other tax components, the official said.

With the state income generating resources badly hit due to the coronavirus lockdown the state is also awaiting the Central funds under the National Disaster Management quota, the official said admitting that the cash flow between the Centre and the state has to improve to meet the growing debt burden.