Salary hike for 9.3lakh T government employees if the committee approves it

Hyderabad: Telangana government employees have a reason to rejoice as Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao has announced to increase their salaries from next year.

The CM announced that the salary hike would benefit government employees, Grant-in-Aid employees, work charged employees, daily wages employees, full-time contingent employees, part-time Contingent employees, Home Guards, Anganwadi workers, Contract employees, Outsourcing employees, Asha workers, Vidya Volunteers, Serp employees, people receiving the honorariums, pensioners.

The salary hike would benefit 9,36,976 employees. "If need be, the financial burden on the TSRTC due to salary hike would be borne by the state government," he said.KCR also announced that besides the salary hike, increasing the age for retirement, giving promotions, effecting the transfers, formulation of simplified service rules, giving all the benefits on the day of the retirement to the employees and bidding them a respectful farewell, making appointments on compassionate grounds, and all other employee-related matters would be solved by the end of February.

The CM also declared that recruitment policy would be rolled out after identifying all the vacant posts in the government would in February. To study all these issues and have discussions with the employees' unions, the CM appointed a Committee under the Chairmanship of Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar. Principal Secretary (Finance) Ramakrishna Rao, Water resources Principal Secretary Rajat Kumar will be the members of the Committee.

In January first week, the Committee will study the PRC report. In the second week of January, the Committee will have a meeting with the Employees Unions. The Committee will advise the government on how much salary revision should be made? To what extent the retirement age should be increased? How to prepare the service rules? What policy should be adapted for the promotions? What is the strategy to get over the legal problems for implementing the Zonal system and other related issues? Later, the State cabinet would meet and take the final decision.

"Government employees played a pivotal role in the separate statehood movement. The government employees under the TNGO protected the Telangana Identity under the united AP regime. We have estimated that if Telangana State is formed it will be a rich state. Then we thought the Telangana government employees would be given good salaries for their service to the Telangana people and the government. As expected we got the Telangana State. Telangana State became a rich state financially. The state government is implementing several welfare schemes for the farmers and the poor. We have taken many measures for the welfare of employees," he said.

The CM noted that after the formation of Telangana, the government gave 42 percent fitment to the government employees and hiked their salaries. "The government hiked salaries to Government employees, pensioners, employees in the State Public Sector Undertakings, Outsourcing employees, Contract employees, employees working with meager salaries, employees of the Municipal and Panchayat departments. Now there is a need to hike the salaries of these employees. The government has decided to hike the salaries to the extent possible based on its financial condition," he said.

KCR said under the united AP, every issue of the employees was riddled with problems. "Every issue used to be a controversy and they were all at the mercy of the courts. They have continued even after the formation of the Telangana State. The Telangana government made several attempts, held many discussions, and cleared all the legal tangles and now it getting some clarity on the issues.

Now the road is cleared to make government employees in Telangana State to discharge their duties without any problem and inconvenience. Now without any further delay, all the issues of the employees should be solved. The entire process should be completed in January and February. By March all the employees should be freed from any problem," he said.

The CM said that due to a dispute with AP state, it is not possible to give promotions in Revenue and the Police departments. "Now those disputes are resolved. Hence give promotions in these departments. Appoint DPCs in all the departments. Vacant posts after the promotions should be filled up immediately. Identify vacant posts department-wise and start recruitment in February," he said.

KCR said every employee on the day of his appointment should know when he would retire. "There should be clarity on what position he will hold at the time of retirement. No one should try to influence to get his promotion. They should not run around the offices for their due promotion. The employee should get his order of promotion at the appropriate time. The service rules should be framed so that every employee should have clarity. The heads of the department should ensure employees welfare," he said.

The CM regretted that there is a delay in the appointments on the compassionate grounds. "Family members who are in sorrow due to the death of their earning family should not be made to run around the government offices for the appointments on compassionate grounds. State wide in the entire department complete the appointments under compassionate grounds," he said.