Vijayawada, August 21: 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 (Andhra Pradesh Non-gazetted Officers) Association here on Monday, the Chief Minister said that Government is committed to the welfare of its employees who play crucial role in the delivery system of welfare benefits.
“We take 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 medical and health department would get 5 days casual leave.
Unlike the TDP regime that closed down 54 PSUs like Nizam Sugar Factory, Chittoor Dairy and Republic Forge, 2,06,638 permanent employees were appointed in the last four years, he said, adding that new recruitments were done to strengthen the welfare delivery system.
While Chandrababu Naidu implemented a policy of retrenchment and closed down Government organisations, we pulled RTC from the red and services of 53,000 RTC employees were regularised by making it part of Government, he said.
In 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 middle men 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. 3300crore, and Government is committed to do more good to employees.
“Despite the State Organised Revenues (SOR) came down during pandemic times, you worked hard to deliver the welfare benefits to the people and also played humanitarian role in giving relief to the flood affected victims,” he said.
Reiterating that Government will never go back on its commitment to do more for the employees, he asked them to see the difference between TDP and present governments.
Quoting Chandrababu Naidu’s book ‘Manasulo Maata’, the Chief Minister said that the TDP leader followed a policy of retrenchment in the guise of golden shake hand and introduced contract system while closing down Government institutions and selling away government lands to sycophants for peanuts.
“Naidu said in his book that 40.6% of the Government employees were surplus and more than 60 per cent of the employees were generally corrupt. Hence, he closed down government institutions and retrenched thousands of employees,” said the Chief Minister.
In contrast, the present 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.
While we are acting with love and affection towards you, Naidu is shedding crocodile tears out of heart burn, he said.
Asking the Government employees not to be carried away by the crocodile tears of Naidu, his foster son and their friendly media, the Chief Minister said the TDP leader can never do justice to them.
Adviser to Government (Public affairs) Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy also addressed the huge gathering of employees.
AP NGOs’ Association President B. Srinivasa Rao and other leaders felicitated the Chief Minister.
