Pension and DA dispute rocks Telangana Assembly as BRS walks out; govt says Rs 6,146 crore dues cleared

Hyderabad: Members of the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Monday staged a walkout from the Telangana Legislative Assembly, protesting over the Congress government’s ‘deceptive and negligent’ handling of issues concerning retired and serving government employees.

The opposition alleged that the government has failed to address long-pending concerns, including delays in pension benefits, unresolved Pay Revision Commission (PRC) matters, pending Dearness Allowance (DA) dues, and a lack of clarity on the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS).

BRS alleges deliberate neglect of retired employees

BRS legislators expressed strong dissatisfaction over the government’s indifferent approach towards retired employees.

They accused the Congress administration of showing ‘deceptive intent’ by delaying pension benefits and failing to resolve key financial and policy-related issues affecting both retirees and current employees.

Raising slogans and demanding immediate action, the BRS members walked out of the Assembly in protest.

Congress govt blames previous regime

Responding in the Assembly, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka defended the government’s record, asserting that the present administration is committed to employee welfare and is actively addressing pending issues left by the previous BRS government.

He stated that salaries, which were earlier delayed beyond the 15th of every month, are now being credited on the 1st without fail. The government has also cleared three pending Dearness Allowances (DA) that were left unpaid by the previous regime.

Clearing arrears and financial burden

The Deputy CM revealed that when the Congress government assumed office, it inherited arrears amounting to Rs 40,150 crore, including Rs 4,575 crore related to employee dues.

Since then, the government has cleared approximately Rs 6,146 crore towards employee-related payments and is releasing Rs 700 crore every month to settle pending dues.

A proposal is under consideration to increase this monthly allocation to Rs 1,000 crore to accelerate the clearance process.

Impact of retirement age hike

Bhatti Vikramarka also criticised the previous government for increasing the retirement age, from 58 to 61 years, and for Class IV employees from 60 to 65 years, allegedly to defer the burden of retirement benefits.

He noted that this decision has resulted in an additional financial liability, with retirement benefits for around 17,000 employees now falling on the current government.

New welfare measures for employees

Highlighting welfare initiatives for government employees, the Deputy CM announced that all pending medical bills of employees have been cleared. The government is also introducing cashless medical treatment cards for employees.

Additionally, an accident insurance scheme is being implemented, providing Rs 1.25 crore to the family in case of an employee’s accidental death.

Pending issues and future decisions

The government acknowledged that four Dearness Allowances are currently pending and assured that a policy decision will be taken soon. A decision on implementing the new PRC will also be made once the commission submits its report.

The Deputy CM emphasised that the government is maintaining continuous dialogue with employee unions and has ensured open access for union leaders to meet the Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister and other ministers.

‘Committed to employee welfare’

Reiterating the government’s stance, Bhatti Vikramarka said the administration is working with a ‘humane approach’ under Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and is focused on resolving employee issues systematically.

He alleged that the previous government had weakened financial systems, leaving the state in a position where even salary payments had become difficult. He assured that corrective measures are now underway.