Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Tuesday clarified that the salaries of government employees will not be cut. However, it has been decided that the salaries will be done in two installments due to financial constraints following the coronavirus lockdown.
According to a government decision issued by the state finance department on Tuesday, the employees of the 'A' and 'B' classes in the state will get 50 per cent of the wages paid for the month of March. The employees of 'C' class will get 75 per cent salary in the first phase. However, employees of 'D' class and the retirees will get full salary.
"The salaries of government officials and employees are paid in one phase. However, this decision has been taken as the State Government hasn't received the outstanding amount of Rs. 16,654 crore even on the last day of the financial year. If this amount was received, the government would have paid the salaries at once," said Ajit Pawar.
The Deputy Chief Minister also stated that the cutting the salaries of officials and employees of the state's public health department, medical education department, police department, urban development department, rural development department, revenue department, local self-government institutes will not be done.
Earlier, Maharashtra government announced a 60% cut in the salaries of CM Uddhav Thackeray and other legislators, said Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar.
The decisions comes at the wake of the coronavirus pandemic which has wrecked havoc in the world, claiming 39,044 lives and infecting 803,541 people globally so far.
Meanwhile in Maharashtra, 72 more people have tested positive for COVID-19, taking the total number of cases in the state to 302 on Tuesday. These new cases are 59 from Mumbai, 3 from Ahmednagar, 2 each from Pune, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Navi Mumbai and Vashi Virar, said the State Health Department.
