Puducherry, Oct 26 (FN Agency) Chief Minister N Rangaswamy on Tuesday announced the salary hike for the employees of Puducherry Co-operative Milk Producers Union (Ponlait). Talking to news persons here, the Chief Minister said that he had announced in the recent budget session that the salary of government employees would be enhanced to a minimum of Rs.10,000 and accordingly the salary of Ponlait employees, who were working for years for less pay, was being hiked. Mr Rangaswamy said the salary of temporary workers earning Rs.7,000 a month is being raised to Rs.15,000. Daily rated employees earning Rs.176 a day and working for more than five years will get Rs 430 a day, that is, they will get a monthly salary of Rs.13,000, he said, adding that those working for less than five years for Rs.176 a day will get Rs.330, taking their salary to Rs.10,000 a month.
This will come into force from November 1 this year, Mr Rangaswamy said. Ponlait will incur an additional expenditure of Rs.25 lakh a month, he added. Temporary daily rated workers will get one day paid holiday a month from the month of November. . The Chief Minister also said that six wards of Ponalit workers who died will be appointed on compassionate grounds considering the welfare of their families in the first phase and the left out will be accomodated later on production of certificates to prove that they are dependents of the dead person. He said that the 101 co-operative milk societies will be paid a differential price of five paise for Rs one for the milk supplies during 2020-21 before Diwali and Ponlait will incur an expenditure of Rs 3.45 crore and 7100 milk producers will be benefited. Mr Rangaswamy, who announced several more concessions to the milk producers and agents said, the milk production in Puducherry is only 65,000 liters while the requirement is one lakh liters. About 35,000 liters of milk is being purchased from Karnataka, he added.
Steps are being taken to enhance the Ponlait milk and milk products and to fill up all the 10,000 vacant government posts here, Mr Rangaswamy said and added that the test for recruitment of police constables will be held soon and 300 Home Guards would be recruited. Permission wa sought from the Central government to set up an additional two more companies of India Reserve Battalion (IRBn) here. He said that all ration card holders in the UT will be provided with 10 kg KG of free rice and two kg KG of sugar for Diwali. The Adidravidar people, above 18 years, will be provided with a set of cloth and Rs.500 each. The amount would be credited in their bank accounts, he added.