Hyderabad: State government employees are losing several benefits due to the delay in issuing of GOs for implementation of the 10th Pay Revision Commission’s (PRC) recommendations.
AP NGO leaders have met Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and finance minister Yanamala Rama Krishnudu several times requesting for the implementation of the 10th PRC recommendations.
During its one and a half years in power, the state government has issued only one GO, on fitment of pay scales, according to the recommendations of the PRC. But here too, it did not clear the doubts of employees regarding payment of arrears.
Before the general elections in 2014, during President’s Rule, the PRC had submitted its report to the Governor. After the Telugu Desam came to power, the state government had accepted the PRC report and had decided to implement the new pay scales from June 2, 2014.
To implement the PRC recommendations, the state government will have to issue more than 50 government orders on several issues. And the delay in this is leading to government employees losing out on several benefits.
The PRC had recommended childcare leave of up to two years to all women employees to look after their two eldest children up to the age of 18.
AP Secretariat Employees’ president, U. Murali Krishna said, “If a women employee had a 17-year-old child, she can utilise this benefit for one year but if the government delays further and the child becomes 18, the employee will get no benefits.”
25-year service plan gives Andhra Pradesh headache
One of the PRC recommendations has become a problem for the AP government.
The PRC had decreased the number of years an employee has to be in service to opt for voluntary retirement. According to present rules, state government employees may take voluntary retirement after completion of 28 years of service.
Once the PRC recommendations come into effect, they can take voluntary retirement after completion of 25 years of service to get full benefits.
In fact, any state government employee can take voluntary retirement after completion of 20 years service. But they will not get full benefits.
Due to financial problems, the state government is not in a position to pay the benefits to retried employees. In view of this, it had increased the retirement age from 58 years to 60 years.
Some employees meanwhile are planning to take voluntary retirement as they are not willing to shift to the capital region, and once the PRC recommendation of 25 years of service comes into effect, the number of such employees will increase.
A employees’ union leader said that several employees were waiting for the GO on voluntary retirement according to PRC recommendations.
A senior officer said that the government may not issue this GO till the government administration shifts to Vijayawada.
