Staff Defer ‘Chalo Hyderabad’ Rally After Govt Assurances

Hyderabad:Telangana employees’ and teachers’ unions on Wednesday deferred their proposed ‘Chalo Hyderabad’ rally after the state government gave written assurances on their long-pending demands, including constitution of a new Pay Revision Commission (PRC), payment of pending Dearness Allowance (DA) dues and other financial benefits.

The decision followed a meeting between Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju and representatives of the Telangana Employees Joint Action Committee (TGEJAC) at the Secretariat.

The major demands include release of around Rs 10,000 crore in pending financial benefits to employees and pensioners, withdrawal of the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), and effective implementation of the new health insurance scheme.

TGEJAC leaders V. Lachi Reddy and Maram Jagadeeshwar said the decision to defer the agitation was taken after the Chief Secretary gave a written assurance on resolving the employees’ demands. They said the government had agreed to hold further discussions on September 18.

They said the TGEJAC had undertaken a statewide campaign to mobilise employees against the delay in resolving their issues and had found considerable resentment among employees.

If there was no positive decision by September 18, the TGEJAC would hold an emergency meeting on September 19 and announce its next course of action, they added.

They said the government had assured them that steps would be taken to ensure the PRC submits its report to the Chief Secretary by September 18. The unions described this as an important development for employees and teachers who have been awaiting wage revision.

On CPS, the government discussed constituting a committee to conduct a comprehensive study within three months on the feasibility of replacing the contributory pension system with the OPS. The committee is expected to include PRC experts, senior officials and representatives of employee organisations.

They also called for effective implementation of the health card scheme to ensure easier access to medical treatment for employees, teachers, pensioners and their families.

Meanwhile, the Telangana State Contributory Pension Scheme Employees Union (TSCPSEU) welcomed the proposed committee to study the CPS issue. Union president G. Sthitaprajna said the Congress had promised to scrap CPS in its election manifesto released on November 17, 2023, and urged the government to complete the committee’s exercise and issue clear orders restoring OPS by November 17.