Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government’s ambitious goal of raising Rs 500 crore through the Salary Challenge has faced a hard blow, with recent treasury documents revealing that only Rs 41.2 crore has been deposited into the CMDRF (Chief Minister's Disaster Relief Fund) for Wayanad so far. This amount has been attributed to a combination of five days of leave surrender and contributions from Provident Fund (PF) loans.

Mathrubhumi.com has received documents in connection with this. 

Also Read

placeholder

Wayanad district set to receive first radar system to improve weather forecasts

The government had proposed that employees contribute four days' salary over the next two months to reach the Rs 500 crore target, but with only five days of salary accounted for, it appears unlikely they will meet this goal.

The disclosure of the treasury documents has come amid rising opposition from government employees regarding the Salary Challenge, leading the government to previously withhold the figures. According to the records, the Rs 41 crore received so far includes funds surrendered for leave and loans against PF, rather than being solely from salary donations.

The plan was for employees to donate their salaries in multiple instalments from their August pay in September, but the current contributions indicate that many employees have opted to surrender their leave rather than donate their salaries directly. As a result, the funds accumulated so far do not reflect a straightforward donation of one day's salary from all participants.

With the current figures in hand, the government's calculations appear to have missed the mark significantly. Given the ongoing financial crisis, many employees have been using leave surrender as a means of financial relief, making the expected contributions via the Salary Challenge even more uncertain.

The amounts deposited thus far reveal that employees have collectively surrendered five days of salary as a single contribution, leading to the paradox of having funds recorded but not available in the account. Consequently, this amount will need to be covered by the finance department.

As it stands, the only potential future contributions to the account will come from employees who have not taken advantage of the leave surrender or PF loan options, indicating that the government may struggle to achieve even half of its initial target. With the next expected deposits occurring in October and November, the situation looks bleak for the government’s fundraising efforts.