Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on Saturday said the government was committed to the welfare of the employees and would soon evolve an action plan on the 10th PRC arrears, besides taking a decision on the constitution of a new PRC.
Maternity leave
Addressing the valedictory of the 20th APNGOs Association council meeting here, Mr. Naidu explained the series of measures taken for the welfare of the employees.
“We are planning to offer two months maternity leave to outsourcing employees and increase the retirement age for Class IV employees to 62. We will also issue a G.O. linked to 20% increase in the HRA for employees residing in Srikakulam, Chittoor, and Machilipatnam,” he said.
Mr. Naidu said the government would soon envisage a programme to build houses for the employees. In this context, he referred to the initiative to construct 14,000 houses for Secretariat employees at Velagapudi.
Referring to the Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS), Mr. Naidu said it was under the purview of the Central government. He promised to arrive at a concrete decision on pending DA instalments.
He also promised to look into the problems of contract and outsourcing workers and implement the health card scheme for employees.
Recollecting the contributions made by the APNGOs right from the time of the bifurcation, Mr. Naidu said usage of technology made the jobs of employees a lot easier and efficient.
“Though employees might have faced some issues during the previous regime, the office, in the present context, is no longer a punishment, but a place to work with happiness. We will ensure that no employee faces pressure and stress. The State’s development is possible only if both the government and employees work together. We saw to it that no cases were filed against employees during bifurcation and treated the time during protests as holiday. We also offered 43% fitment and raised the retirement age to 60,” he added.
H sought the support of the employees to realise a corruption-free State.
Housing programme
Earlier, Mr. Naidu inaugurated a housing colony, comprising 1,704 dwellings for the poor constructed under the NTR Housing Scheme, at Tanapalle on the outskirts of Tirupati.
He reiterated the government’s commitment to the welfare of the poor despite the burden on the exchequer.
“We have promised to build 7,416 houses here at an estimated cost of ₹297 crore and name them after the Seven Hills of Tirumala. Handing over the keys to the beneficiaries at Anjanadri and Neeladri shows that we will never renege on our promise. The remaining houses will be completed soon,” he added.
He said the government would strive to transform the temple city into a smart city / swachh city and also as a ‘City of Lakes’ by reviving nearly 100 water bodies.
He also disbursed cheques among the beneficiaries hailing from various caste corporations and later handed over tractors, autorickshaws and four-wheelers.
