The Government of Karnataka has ordered all government employees to give up a day’s salary towards the maintenance of cows under its Punyakoti Dattu Yojane. This one-time deduction from the salaries of the employees will give rise to a total sum of about Rs 100 crore, which will go into ensuring the wellbeing of the cattle in the gaushalas being maintained under the scheme. The collected amount will be transferred to the Department of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services.
Group-D employees are not expected to contribute at all. However, Group-B employees will have Rs 11,000 deducted from their November salaries, Group-B staff will have to give up Rs 4,000 and Group-C staff will have to let go Rs 400 as contribution from their November salaries.
The scheme will reportedly help around one lakh cows across Karnataka.
The State government’s Punyakoti Dattu Yojane hopes that cows will be adopted by various public and private organisations. The annual sponsorship/adoption fee would be Rs 11,000. A budget of Rs 50 crore was set aside to ensure that the government set up a gaushala in every district of Karnataka.
Earlier, the contributions were supposed to be voluntary. However, the government order says that those employees who do not wish to contribute need to state their unwillingness in writing and submit the same to the concerned salary-disbursal authorities in their departments by 25 November, 2022.
