Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has decided to enhance the salaries and retirement age of all categories of State government employees besides commencement of filling up vacancies in all departments as a New Year gift.
The salary hike will apply to about 9.37 lakh employees. A three-member committee headed by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar will study the recommendations of the Pay Revision Commission for the purpose of fixing the quantum of hike, age of retirement and service rules.
A release of CMO said the hike will apply to regular staff, grant-in-aid, workcharged, daily wage, full-time contingent, part-time contingent, contract, outsourcing and Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty employees, home guards, Anganwadi and ASHA workers, Vidya volunteers, pensioners and those getting honorarium. Even low paid workers in the Road Transport Corporation will also get higher salaries. If needed, the financial burden on RTC will be borne by the State government.
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Mr. Rao also announced that all service issues concerning employees will be addressed comprehensively by February. Hike in retirement age apart, the government will resolve promotions and take up transfers where required, simplification of service rules and compassionate appointments. It will be ensured that the staff was handed over all their retirement benefits on the last day of their service. He added that the recruitment in government service will start from February after identifying vacancies in all departments. The committee of Somesh Kumar which comprises principal secretaries K. Ramakrishna Rao (Finance) and Rajat Kumar (Irrigation) as members will hold talks with service associations to finalise the roadmap on all the issues.
The committee will peruse the PRC report in the first week of January and talk to the service associations in the second week. The committee will also look into how to proceed with promotions and overcome legal hurdles in staff matters caused by zonal system. Thereafter, the Cabinet will take a final decision, Mr. Rao said.
He recalled that the government hiked the salaries of staff shortly after formation of Telangana State with a 42 % fitment in recognition of their contribution in Statehood movement. Now was the time for another hike. Within the financial limitations of the government, it was decided to hike the salaries what little was possible.
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The government was committed to the election promise of TRS to enhance the retirement age. Mr. Rao hoped that the staff was relieved of all its service issues which plagued them in combined State by March. He instructed officials to constitute Departmental Promotion Committees to finalise promotions. Compassionate appointments in all departments should be completed.