Welfare funds for pourakarmikas dry up; no allocation from govt, say officials

MYSURU: It has been found that the state Safai Karmachari Development Corporation has not disbursed any funds for pourakarmikas under its schemes, for the past three years. The matter was raised during the visit of National Safai Karmachari Commission chairman M Venkatesan to Mysuru on Monday. The corporation was created in 2015 for the welfare of pourakarmikas, to provide them alternative employment and help them realise their educational and other needs.

However, pourakarmikas said that applicants selected for the schemes have been waiting for years, since the corporation is not disbursing funds. They also said the target set for the schemes is very low, compared to their population.Later, an official told TNIE that the corporation has not been getting any funds from the State government for the past two years. In Mysuru alone, the target set was 552 members, but though 530 applicants were cleared in 2020-21, none of them have got funds, he said. However, State Safai Karmachari Commission chairman M Shivanna said there have been issues with documentation, and assured them that funds will be released soon.

The meeting also saw cases of upper caste workers getting recruited to local bodies on pourakarmika rolls, but being posted in white collar jobs. It came to light that in T Narsipura, six individuals were recruited as pourakarmikas but were working in the town municipality office and had also secured `7.5 lakh assistance for building houses meant for pourakarmikas. Shivanna said such issues are prevalent across the state, and promised to take action. At the meeting, pourakarmikas also demanded a change in work timings, as they are not able to send their wards to school, since they start work early.

The chairmen responded positively to this. Shivanna also announced that the government would come up with a plan to provide free education to the children of pourakarmikas, regardless of whether they study in private or government institutions.

Cases of pourakarmikas working on contract or daily wage scale being denied proper compensation and jobs for kin in case of death, were also highlighted. The chairman said that regardless of payroll status, local bodies should give all pourakarmikas the same benefits.Venkatesan later told reporters that he had visited the families of two pourakarmikas who had died in Bengaluru, and would also visit the family of a worker who had committed suicide on being forced to clean a manhole with his bare hands.