Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Monday announced Rs 7,500 as a special incentive to each sanitation worker in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and Hyderabad Metro Water Supply (HMWS) and Rs 5,000 each for their counterparts in municipalities and village panchayats.
KCR said that the state government had taken the decision to express their gratitude to the work being done by the staff in ensuring that sanitation is maintained and the spread of the disease is curbed.
"I salute every sanitation worker for keeping every village, town and city clean and thus protecting people from COVID-19," the Chief Minister said.
The state has 95,392 sanitation workers including employees of GHMC and HMWSSB.
He said the salary cut was imposed on the employees of municipalities and GHMC due to a 'misunderstanding', but the same would be paid back to them in a day or two.
My wholehearted gratitude to Hon’ble CM KCR Garu for announcing a special incentive of ₹7,500 for GHMC & HMWSSB sanitation workers & ₹5,000 for all sanitation workers in Municipalities & Gram Panchayats
— KTR (@KTRTRS) April 6, 2020
95,392 frontline workers will be given incentive#TelanganaFightsCorona
Meanwhile, a 10 percent incentive on gross salary of the employees of the Medical and Health Department was also announced, in recognition of their services in combating the coronavirus.
The Chief Minister thanked all healthcare professionals with folded hands. "I salute everyone from a sweeper to the director of the hospitals, for rendering their valuable services," he said.
The government has already announced payment of full salary to the employees of the Medical and Health department and Police Department in recognition of the services they are rendering in a crisis.
For the remaining government employees, the government has already announced that the salaries would be deferred, according to grade and service cadres in the wake of the economic crisis triggered by spread of COVID-19 and the resultant lockdown.
The number of coronavirus positive cases in Telangana rose to 364 as 30 more people tested positive on Monday. KCR said that there are currently 308 active cases in hospitals. The state has so far reported 11 deaths, while 45 people have been discharged.