Vijayawada: CS Sameer Sharma appeals to employees to drop strike plan

Vijayawada: Chief secretary Sameer Sharma appealed to employees to withdraw the proposed strike as the government is ready to discuss with them issues with an open mind to settle PRC issue. He said Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has also made it clear that 'what can be done will be done'. He allayed the apprehensions of cut in salaries under new PRC.

Speaking to media persons at the Secretariat on Tuesday, the chief secretary said the state government will form an anomalies committee to resolve the PRC issues. He made it clear that there will be no cut in salaries of any category of employees with or without Interim relief. He said there will be increase in salaries when compared to last PRC adding that salaries will be credited to the accounts of all employees by tonight (Tuesday night).

He said despite Rs 15,000 to 20,000 crore annual revenue loss due to Covid pandemic for the past three years, the state government announced PRC to benefit he employees. "The state government has gone beyond PRC to benefit employees. If there is any issue with PRC, employees can discuss with ministers' committee to resolve the issue," he said and warned that if the employees resorted to agitation, there is a possibility of agitation being 'hijacked by vexed interests' and the whole atmosphere will be spoiled.

Special chief secretary, finance, S S Rawat said the state government had adopted constructive approach to resolve the PRC issue. He said it is the responsibility of state government to credit salaries to employees and as such it remitted salaries to 3.69 village and ward secretariat employees and volunteers, 1.75 lakh other employees and 94,800 outsourced staff, besides disbursing pensions to 3.3 lakh people. Salary break-up slips were distributed to employees to show the increase in salaries and to clear apprehensions among them, he added.