Hyderabad: Chief Minister Kiran Kumar Reddy on Thursday announced an unprecedented interim relief of 27 per cent for state government employees.
Some 9.5 lakh employees and 5.5 lakh pensioners will benefit from this largesse, but the additional burden on the state exchequer will be Rs 7,681 crore a year.
Though he has pleased government employees in the run-up to the elections, the CM acknowledged that the additional burden would impact the implementation of development and welfare initiatives. “We have to improve revenues,” he told media.
In lengthy discussions with representatives of various employees’ organisations, the latter had demanded that the IR should be 32 per cent. They also wanted the IR to be paid along with arrears. The CM made them agree to not claim arrears because he said that the IR would be restricted to 25 per cent if it has to be paid along with arrears.
All employees thank CM for IR
Hyderabad: All employees’ organisations cutting across regional lines thanked the Chief Minister for announcing the Interim Relief.
Telangana employees’ leaders Devi Prasad, Srinivas Goud, APNGOs president P. Ashok Babu, secretariat employees’ leaders Narender Rao, Murali Krishna and Krishnaiah were present during the negotiations.
The IR will be implemented from January 1, 2014, and it will cost the taxpayer Rs 640 crore every month.
Maintaining that he was of the strong view that welfare of employees and their family members should be the top priority of any government, the Chief Minister assured them he would resolve issues relating to health cards very soon.
The Chief Minister said the government filled 1.5 lakh vacancies and is in the process of filling up 60,000 ever since he took over three years ago.
Of the total vacancies filled so far, 70,000 are new posts, he added.
