Telangana Revamps EHC Trust Board, Left-out CPS Union Flays Neglect
The board, comprising 30 members drawn from senior government officials and representatives of employees' and pensioners' associations, was constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary through GO Ms No. 40 issued by the health, medical and family welfare department.
Hyderabad: The state government on Wednesday rThe board, comprising 30 members drawn from senior government officials and representatives of employees' and pensioners' associations, was constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary through GO Ms No. 40 issued by the health, medical and family welfare department.The board, comprising 30 members drawn from senior government officials and representatives of employees' and pensioners' associations, was constituted under the chairmanship of the Chief Secretary through GO Ms No. 40 issued by the health, medical and family welfare department.
While the government described the move as a step towards strengthening the EHS framework, the decision triggered strong protests from the Telangana State Contributory Pension Scheme Employees Union (TSCPSEU), which expressed disappointment over the exclusion of CPS employees' representatives from the newly constituted board.
Union state president G. Sthithaprajna, state general secretary Kalvala Srikanth and treasurer Naresh Goud said it was unfortunate that the union representing nearly 2.6 lakh CPS employees and teachers in the state had not been given representation despite the board including members from various employee, teacher and pensioners' organisations.
The union leaders said the absence of CPS representation in a body that would shape healthcare policy for government employees and pensioners had raised concerns among lakhs of CPS employees and teachers regarding whether they would receive adequate benefits and protections under the EHS in the future.
Highlighting the difficulties faced by retired CPS employees, the union leaders said 2,316 CPS employees had already retired in the state, and many were unable to avail EHS benefits because they could not afford to pay the mandatory 1.5 per cent contribution from their last drawn basic pay.
The union also pointed out that the TSCPSEU had been spearheading the struggle for the abolition of the CPS for the past 10 years and therefore deserved representation on the board.
