Andhra Pradesh Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association (APNGO) president P. Ashok Babu on Sunday threatened to launch a massive agitation on the lines of the one witnessed for Samaikyandhra if the Centre dilly-dallied on the grant of Special Category Status (SCS) to the State.
“SCS is our right. The BJP, which favoured the status for 10 years on the floor of Parliament, should not go back on it now,” he told reporters here.
“'SCS, Special Development Package (SDP), and Polavaram project are imperative to spur economic growth in Navya Andhra Pradesh,” he said.
ADVERTISEMENT
The responsibility of getting them without any further delay rested on the State government as they were “political decisions” by the Centre at the time of bifurcation, he said. “The employees, who had joined the ‘Sakala Janula Samme’ to oppose the bifurcation, will not hesitate to take to the streets once again,” he made it clear, and hoped that the Centre would immediately come out with an announcement on the assurances. Mr. Ashok Babu, who took part in the Irrigation Department NGOs’ Association State conference here, extended the APNGOs support to the September 2 general strike.
He hoped that the State Secretariat would become fully functional from the new capital from Dasara.
Irrigation Department NGOs Association founder-president U. Anjaneyulu dubbed the new pension scheme as anti-employee, and said that employees were perplexed as to where their pension contributions had been invested.
ADVERTISEMENT
The employees were the worst-affected because of the “anti-labour” policies of the Union and State governments, said B. Srinivasa Rao, president of the Irrigation Department NGOs Association.