Telangana state employees to receive a bounty; BRS govt constitutes 2nd PRC, announces 5% interim relief

According to the GO, the employees include those of the Local Bodies (PR and ULBS), the Government Institutions receiving Grants-in-Aid from the Government, and Work Charged Employees, who are currently drawing pay in the Revised Scales, 2020, besides pensioners.

As this is an election year, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao took the decision, apparently to keep the state government employees, including pensioners — a key voting bloc — happy.

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Interim relief

The icing on the cake is the announcement that five percent of basic pay or basic pension will be paid with effect from 1 October.

The interim relief will continue till the commission submits its recommendations and the government acts on them. The amount thus paid would be deducted from the benefit accruing to the employees after the implementation of recommendations.

Former Finance Secretary N Siva Sankar has been named the chairman of the PRC. Another retired officer, B Ramaiah, will be a member of the commission.

The PRC has been asked to submit its report within a period of six months.

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In comparison to other states

According to sources South First spoke to, the new PRC will examine the pay scales of employees in other states and those of the Union government before making its recommendations. 

The commission is expected to keep in mind the state’s revenues, its growth, and its commitments to the welfare schemes and infrastructure needs before arriving at a decision.

The chief minister, during a short discussion in the Assembly in August, had promised a huge pay revision package to the employees as, according to him, they deserved a share in the fruits of the state’s economic development. 

After the formation of Telangana state, the pay scales of the employees have gone up by more than 70 percent.

In 2014, the TRS (now BRS) government of the newly created Telangana state, gave a record 43 percent of fitment while implementing the 10th PRC which was appointed in united Andhra Pradesh.

After the creation of the Telangana state, the government constituted the first PRC with CR Biswal as its chairman in 2018, which submitted its report to the government in December 2020. The government gave a fitment of 30 percent.