Bengaluru: Pourakarmikas requesting that their daily snack allowance be raised from Rs 35 to Rs 50 got an unexpected boost Friday, with chief minister DK Shivakumar announcing that it would instead be doubled to Rs 70.The announcement came at the state-level Pourakarmika Day celebrations at Palace Grounds, where thousands of civic workers had gathered. Worker representatives had sought an increase to Rs 50, but Shivakumar went a step further. “There was a demand to increase it; I want to increase it to Rs 70,” he told the workers, adding: “If you are healthy and strong, our streets, city and public health will also remain strong.”The CM had another surprise in store. In a symbolic gesture of solidarity, he and several ministers donned pourakarmika uniforms and shared lunch with the civic workers.Calling pourakarmikas “nation builders” and “ambassadors of cleanliness”, Shivakumar said their work was vital to public health and urged them to perform their duties with dignity and self-respect.He also assured the workers that the remaining 6,800 civic workers awaiting regularisation would be made permanent at the earliest. Around 28,000 pourakarmikas have already been regularised, he said, adding that govt will also set up a cabinet sub-committee comprising officials from the finance, social welfare and urban development departments to examine the workers’ long-pending demands.Other announcements included a dedicated Poura Bhavan for civic workers and residential schools for their children on the lines of Karnataka Public Schools.The CM, however, flagged complaints about some workers not discharging their duties properly, saying the actions of a few should not affect the reputation of the larger workforce. “About 60% are genuinely doing their work every day, but the actions of the remaining few affect the reputation of the entire community,” he said.
