Hyderabad: Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy on Saturday demanded that the government immediately announce the new Pay Revision Commission (PRC) for state employees, teachers and pensioners.
In an open letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, Mr Reddy said that nearly 4 lakh teachers and employees and about 3 lakh pensioners were desperately waiting for the new PRC scales.
He said that teachers and employees had played a major role during the statehood movement and had risked their jobs and careers by participating in 42-day Sakala Janula Samme (general strike).
Stating that they expected a better future and financial growth after the formation of Telangana state, Mr Reddy said, “Neither the employees nor teachers benefited in any way during the last six years although the Chief Minister claims that his government is employee-friendly.”
He said that the new PRC scales should have been applied from July 1, 2018. The announcement of the 11th PRC has been delayed by almost 20 months, causing huge financial losses to the employees and teachers.
With the state government extending the term of the PRC by another six months; the employees are forced to face mental agony for longer, Mr Reddy said. He asked why the reasons for the extension of the PRC's term were not placed in the public domain. He said the PRC’s term is limited to five years, but no fitment in pay scales had been announced for the last three years.
The TPCC chief said that the previous Congress regime had declared 39 per cent fitment and other benefits in the 9th PRC. In 2013, the Congress government had announced the 10th PRC five months in advance. When the report was delayed, 27 per cent interim relief was
announced in order to reduce the burden on the employees.
Mr Reddy alleged that the employees were not being given promotions, transfers or inter-district transfers and the services rules for teachers are not yet drafted. Language pandits and physical education teachers had got no upgradation although they were promised promotion as school assistants.
He alleged that the employees were being denied treatment in corporate hospitals under Employees Health Scheme (EHS) as the government had not cleared their dues of `1,200 crore.
Mr Reddy said the pensioners who completed 70 years of age should be given their quantum of incentive as recommended by the 10th PRC.
“On the one side, the state government is claiming financial stability.
On the other, it is borrowing lakhs of crores. Under any circumstances, the government should not delay the announcement of PRC and help lakhs of employees, teachers and pensioners,” Mr Reddy demanded.
