Jagan showers sops on government employees

Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy said that one DA instalment would be paid by Dasara festival and asserted that the Guaranteed Pension Scheme (GPS) replacing CPS for retired Government employees would become a role model for other states.

In his address to the 21st State Council meeting of the APNGOs on Monday, the Chief Minister said that the Government is committed to the welfare of its employees who play crucial roles in the delivery system of welfare benefits.

“We make policy decisions, but you are the bridge between Government and people. Ultimately, you have to implement the policies for the benefit of people. This Government is committed to your well-being,” he said.

The Chief Minister announced that out of the two pending DA instalments, arrears of one instalment would be paid for Dasara festival and women employees working in the medical and health department would get 5 days casual leave.

In the medical and health department alone, 53,260 persons were recruited, services of 10,000 contract employees were regularised taking 2014 as the cut off year to accommodate more persons and justice was done to language teachers and 1998 DSC candidates, he said.

Describing the employees as part of the Government family, he said 135,000 persons were appointed in village and ward secretariats within six months of coming to power to ease the administrative pressure on employees.

Besides increasing the DA to 16 per cent in all districts and creating an outsourcing corporation for removing middlemen in the outsourcing of employees, services of 14,658 Vidya Vidhana Parishad employees were regularised and retirement age was increased to 62 from 60 and compassionate appointments were also made in RTC.

As the salaries of Government employees including those of Anganwadi and mid- day meal scheme workers, ASHA and home guards, the monthly salary bill went up to Rs. 3300 crore, and Government is committed to do better to employees.

“Despite the State Organised Revenues (SOR) coming down during pandemic times, you worked hard to deliver the welfare benefits to the people and also played a humanitarian role in giving relief to the flood affected victims,” he said.

The government has expanded the Government machinery by creating village and ward secretariats, village clinics, RBKs, digital libraries and English medium schools besides increasing the number of districts from 13 to 26, he added.