7th Pay Commission: Telangana Govt Announces Dearness Allowance As Diwali Gift

In a positive development for Telangana government employees, the Revanth Reddy-led administration has announced a Diwali gift for employees and pensioners, with plans to release one or two pending dearness allowance (DA) installments. The decision was taken during a meeting on Thursday with the Joint Action Committee (JAC) of employees and pensioners' unions.

It is reported that 51 demands were presented to the Chief Minister by JAC leaders, emphasizing six critical issues, including the payment of DA arrears. The outstanding DA amounts to 17%, with each 1% increase adding ₹250 crore per month to the state's financial obligations.

Revanth Reddy assured the committee of his government's commitment to addressing these issues, beginning with DA arrears. A Cabinet sub-committee, chaired by Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, will look into employee grievances. The sub-committee will include ministers D. Sridhar Babu and Ponnam Prabhakar, with K. Keshava Rao, government adviser, serving as a special invitee. It plans to hold department-wise meetings post-Diwali to systematically address employee concerns.

The state government is financial challenges reportedly inherited from the previous BRS regime, with the state now managing a debt of nearly Rs 7 lakh crore. The interest and principal payments alone require Rs 210 crore daily, impacting the state's capacity to meet employees' demands swiftly.

The JAC further urged the government to release Rs 4,000 crore in pending arrears, largely due to delayed reimbursements for medical bills, GPF, insurance advances, and gratuities left unresolved by the previous administration. However, the Congress government has so far managed to disburse Rs 2,000 crore over the past ten months.