Hyderabad, Mar 23 (TNT): Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Monday in the House said the state government is committed to the welfare of government employees and has taken multiple steps to address their long-pending issues.
While responding to queries raised by BRS MLAs in the House, Bhatti said that since the Congress government assumed office, salaries are being credited on the 1st of every month without delay, unlike during the previous regime when payments were often made after the 15th.
The Deputy Chief Minister said the government has cleared three pending Dearness Allowances (DAs) left unpaid earlier and is working towards clearing other dues.
He noted that arrears amounting to ₹40,150 crore were inherited from the previous government, including ₹4,575 crore related to employees, as detailed in a White Paper presented in the Assembly.
Bhatti said the government is currently paying ₹700 crore every month to clear pending employee dues and is considering enhancing the amount to ₹1,000 crore to expedite the process.
He said the earlier government had increased the retirement age — from 58 to 61 years and from 60 to 65 years for Class IV employees — which has resulted in the present government bearing the burden of settling retirement benefits for around 17,000 employees.
The Deputy Chief Minister said all pending medical bills of employees have been cleared. He added that the government is introducing cashless medical treatment cards and implementing an accident insurance scheme providing ₹1.25 crore to the family in case of an employee’s accidental death.
He said that since coming to power, the government has cleared about ₹6,146 crore related to employees. A decision on the new Pay Revision Commission (PRC) will be taken after receiving its report, while four pending DAs will be addressed through a policy decision.
He said the government is maintaining continuous dialogue with employee unions and ensuring they have access to meet Chief Minister Revanth Reddy and other ministers to resolve their issues.
Alleging that the previous BRS government weakened the state’s financial system, he said the present government is working to restore stability and prioritise employee welfare.
TNT TS
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