National Health Mission employees in Kerala get pay hike

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government on Wednesday decided to increase the remuneration of the National Health Mission (NHM) employees both on contract and on a daily basis in addition to incentives and risk allowances.

The state cabinet announced also a financial assistance package for non-resident Keralites who could not go back to their place of work abroad and are stranded in the state since the lockdown.

Since the remuneration of NHM employees involved in COVID-19 work is limited, those on contract and also those employed on a daily basis would be provided additional benefits. Incentives and risk allowances have been introduced, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan told reporters. This would incur an additional expenditure of Rs 22.68 crore per month, he said.

The cabinet decided to allot Rs 50 crore from the Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund (CMDRF) to NORKA (non- resident Keralites affairs) Roots to provide assistance of Rs 5,000 to each of the expatriates, he said.

This is in addition to the Rs 8.5 crore given earlier, the Chief Minister said.

The minimum wage for Grade-I (medical officers and specialists) would be raised from Rs 40,000 to Rs 50,000 per month with a risk allowance of 20 per cent.

Grade-II (senior consultants, dental surgeons and Ayush Doctors) would be given a 20 per cent risk allowance.

The minimum monthly salary of Grade-III (staff nurses, junior health inspectors, pharmacists and technicians) would be increased from Rs 13,500 to Rs 20,000 along with a 25 per cent risk allowance, he said.

The last grade employees would be given a 30 per cent risk allowance in addition to their daily wages.

The Chief Minister further said the incentives and risk allowances would be given to all newly hired employees engaged in the virus-related work.

The COVID-19 Health Policy packages for various ailments would also be provided to employees who are not covered under the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP) scheme.