Telangana Cabinet okays pending DAs for govt staff

Hyderabad, May 6 (UNI) In the backdrop of employee unions threatening agitation over long pending demands, the Telangana Cabinet has approved the release of two pending Dearness Allowances (DAs) to the staff and also sanctioned Rs 700 crore to clear their pending bills.
Briefing the media after a marathon cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister a Revanth Reddy held here on Thursday night, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka said that a part of the two DAs will be implemented immediately, and another six months.
Bhatti, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on employees' grievances, gave a detailed presentation and said it was decided that the pending bills of employees amounting to ₹700 crore per month should be cleared without delay.
About the health insurance scheme for employees, he said a trust would be set up under the leadership of the chief secretary and officials would be members of the trust.
Under the scheme, each employee will contribute ₹500 per month, and the government will contribute an equal amount, the Deputy CM said.
He said the government accepted the employee unions' demand for a 12.5 per cent quota in the secretariat. The government was also inclined to form a medical invalidation committee to assess cases of medical retirement, he said.
The cabinet decided not to re-employ retired employees, he said.
Referring to grading of panchayat staff, Bhatti said employees working in village panchayats would be graded according to the panchayats' classification.
The Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) will be set up for processing employees' promotions, said the minister.
Officers and employees who were transferred during the election period would be sent back to their original positions, he said.
The government agreed to establish a director of nursing, he said, adding the Cabinet decided to increase Rs 2 lakh towards retirement benefits for Anganwadi workers.
The pending bills related to government officials' rental vehicles would be cleared, and the vehicle limits will be revised upwards, he added.
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