Bengaluru: “How can a person from Kalaburagi survive in Bengaluru with a monthly salary of just ₹20,000?”
This pointed question by Medical Education and Skill Development Minister, brought the spotlight squarely on the cost-of-living crisis faced by migrant workers in Bengaluru, particularly those employed in the MSME sector.
Addressing the MSME and Employment Opportunities Conclave organised by the (CII) in Bengaluru on Friday, the minister urged industries—especially micro, small and medium enterprises—to offer respectable and dignified wages that allow employees to live decently in an expensive city like Bengaluru.
Dr Patil expressed serious concern over low pay structures in the MSME sector, stating that inadequate salaries were directly contributing to high attrition, despite the availability of skilled and qualified manpower.
“I have personally come across several cases where skilled employees from tier-two and tier-three regions of Karnataka take up jobs in Bengaluru, only to quit within months and return to their native places. The reason is simple—meagre salaries that make survival impossible,” the minister said, citing Kalaburagi as a clear example.
The issue surfaced during an interaction session at the conclave, where MSME industrialists flagged a shortage of skilled workers and complained that trained employees were leaving to join larger industries. Responding to these concerns, Dr Patil said the problem was not a lack of talent but a mismatch between wages and the real cost of urban living.
Highlighting the importance of MSMEs as the largest employment generators in Karnataka and across India, the minister said talent retention would remain a challenge unless wages reflected skill levels, experience, and the realities of city life.
“I am not asking MSMEs to match IT-sector salaries,” he clarified. “But employees must be paid in line with their skills so they can live with dignity in Bengaluru. Employment should not come at the cost of basic survival.”
Acknowledging that MSMEs require workers with diverse and specialised skill sets, Dr Patil assured industry representatives that his department would organise exclusive, sector-specific job fairs designed specifically to meet MSME requirements.
Several industry leaders attended the conclave, including Ravindra Srikantan, Sam Cherian, Ravi Raghavan and Solomon Pushparaj from CII.
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