Mysore/Mysuru: Karnataka State Government Employees Association President C.S. Shadakshari said that the employees will abstain from offices from July 29 if the State Government does not meet their demands by then.

He was speaking at the greeting of newly elected people representatives and Pratibha Puraskara programme organised by the District Unit of State Government Employees Association at Kalamandira here on Saturday.

Pointing out that Government employees have played a key role in the State getting the second ranking in the list of GST collection by States, Shadakshari said that the employees are also playing an important role in the implementation of Guarantee schemes. Despite this, there are speculations that the Government might not agree to pay 27.5 percent fitment to the employees as recommended by the 7th Pay Commission, which is not at all acceptable, he said.

Noting that the employees have been criticising the Government and as well as the Association in social networks, Shadakshari said that he can no more hear the allegations that he has compromised with the Government.

Maintaining that the Government has been given enough time to implement the recommendations of the 7th Pay Commission, he said the Government is also dilly dallying on issues such as re-introduction of  Old Pension Scheme(OPS) and Arogya Sanjeevini Health Insurance scheme. He warned that the Government will have to face the consequences if it drags on the fulfilment of the Association’s demands.

Earlier, newly elected MLC K. Vivekananda who inaugurated the programme and MP Yaduveer Krishnadatta Chamaraja Wadiyar were greeted on the occasion. Vivekananda personally donated Rs.1 lakh for Pratibha Puraskara on the occasion.

Speaking after being greeted, MP Yaduveer said that taking forward the locally rich culture and progressive thoughts  was among his priorities. Noting that bettering the lives of citizens is the job that is ahead of him, he stressed that it is important to support PM Modi in his endeavour to make the country ‘Viksit Bharat’ by the year 2047. Asserting that he would give all the support that he can in realising this Mission of the PM, he declared that he would go through the demands of Government Employees Association and support suitably.

About 350 meritorious children of the Association members who scored high marks in SSLC and PUC were presented Pratibha Puraskar.

Association Office-bearers Govindaraju,  M.V. Rudrappa, T. Srinivas, Siddaramanna, Mallikarjun Ballari, L.L. Umesh, Revanna and others were present.