ERNAKULAM: Kerala governor Arif Mohammad Khan on Thursday signed an ordinance--Kerala Disaster and Public Health Emergency Special Provisions Act, 2020--ushering in a law to defer up to 25% of salaries of state government employees for six months during an emergency.
The law was necessitated because of the economic fallout of the covid-19 pandemic. The state expects to raise ₹2,500 crore through this move.
The move underlines the financial constraints Kerala and other states face in their fight against the disease. With the lockdown in place, since 25 March, Kerala, like other states, has seen its revenue shrink.
It collected ₹2,000 crore in revenues in April, while it needs ₹2,500 crore to pay salaries of government employees, according