Mumbai: BMC spent Rs 384 crore on daily COVID-19 allowance

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The BMC spent Rs 384 crore on a daily allowance scheme in which it paid Rs 300 per day to employees who worked during the pandemic, till December 2020. The BMC had discontinued the allowance after December 31, but as per the proposal sent to the standing committee, it has been recommended that the allowance be given till further orders.

When the pandemic started, the BMC announced the daily allowance for the staff, up to the rank of executive engineer, who had to attend office daily despite the absence of trains and other transport. As per the proposal, of its 1.02 lakh employees, around 80,000 came throughout the pandemic.

On December 29, the administration issued a circular stating that the daily allowance would be discontinued as most of the city had reopened.

But the employees' unions opposed it, reminding the BMC that it had assured the allowance would continue till March.

The administration has stated in the latest proposal that the allowance should be continued. The proposal will be tabled in the standing committee on Wednesday.