Bhatti Clears Rs 180 Crore Pending Medical Bills Of Employees And Pensioners
On June 13, the government announced a hike in two Dearness Allowances (DAs) for government employees and pensioners. Now, it has cleared medical reimbursement bills as well.
Hyderabad: The state government has delivered good news to its employees and pensioners. Deputy Chief Minister and finance minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday released Rs 180.38 crore to clear all pending medical reimbursement bills related to government employees and pensioners.
The Congress government, which recently transferred Rs 9,000 crore into the savings accounts of farmers under the Rythu Bharosa scheme within just nine days, has cleared medical reimbursement bills worth Rs 180.38 crore for employees the very next day, defying the expectations of opposition parties.
On June 13, the government announced a hike in two Dearness Allowances (DAs) for government employees and pensioners. Now, it has cleared medical reimbursement bills as well. Bhatti Vikramarka, who is also the chairman of the Employees Welfare Cabinet Sub-Committee, has resolved several employee issues within just 15 days.
Despite severe financial constraints and multiple large-scale welfare schemes, the Deputy Chief Minister prioritised pending medical reimbursement bills and cleared them without delay.
The medical bills, which are pending from March 4, 2023, to June 20, 2025, — arrears accumulated from the previous BRS government’s tenure — have been fully cleared. This decision has brought a major relief to 26,519 government employees and pensioners, who had been waiting for 27 months for their medical reimbursements.
As the chairman of the Employees Welfare Cabinet Sub-Committee, Bhatti Vikramarka has been addressing the issues of employees’ and pensioners gradually. He said that the government considers employees as part of the same family and is committed to solving their problems accordingly.
On June 13, the government issued a GO increasing two DAs for government employees and pensioners. This DA hike benefits around 3.5 lakh regular government employees and three lakh pensioners across the state. Each DA hike places a financial burden of Rs 2,400 crore per month on the state exchequer. However, the Congress government, which prioritizes employee welfare, has gone ahead with the DA increase regardless of the financial burden.
In addition the government has issued orders to increase cadre strength in the women and child welfare and planning departments. The process of forming a joint staff council to resolve employee and officer issues is in its final stages. Village panchayats are being classified into four grades based on population. A comprehensive health insurance scheme for employees and pensioners is nearing completion. DPC committees related to promotions in various departments have picked up pace.
Employee unions are expressing satisfaction over the swift resolution of issues affecting 7.5 lakh government employees and pensioners within just a few days.