Telangana to cut ministers’ salaries by 50% to repay dues to retired government officials

E-PaperSubscribeSubscribeEnjoy unlimited accessSubscribe Now! Get features like The Telangana government on Thursday decided to enforce a 50% reduction in ministerial salaries to mobilise finances to clear dues owed to retired government employees The decision was taken at a meeting of the state cabinet chaired by Telangana chief minister A Revanth Reddy (PTI FILE)The moves comes close close on the heels of the Himachal Pradesh government, which decided last week to cut down the salaries of the chief minister and his cabinet colleagues to overcome a financial crunch. Speaking to reporters after a cabinet meeting chaired by chief minister A Revanth Reddy at the state secretariat, state information and public relations minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said, “All the ministers have voluntarily resolved to cut down their salaries by 50%. Similarly, all the public representatives would forego 50% of their salaries, if necessary, towards clearing the retirement benefits due to be paid to the retired employees.” The cabinet also decided to constitute a resource mobilisation sub-committee to engage with employee unions, teachers’ associations, and pensioners’ groups to expedite resolution. “The cabinet set a target to initiate arrangements to clear the dues of retired staff within 100 days,” the minister said. The cabinet also expressed serious concern over large-scale pending dues to serving government employees and retired staff, accumulated over the past decade. It noted that at the time of Telangana’s formation, there were no such arrears. “With the increase in retirement age and delays in disbursing retirement benefits, pensioners and their families are facing significant hardship. The cabinet felt that retired employees should not be forced to run from office to office for their dues,” Ponguleti said. According to the officials, pending liabilities include approximately ₹6,200 crore for serving employees and ₹8,000 crore for retired staff. “While acknowledging fiscal constraints, the cabinet decided to explore alternative resource mobilisation measures to clear these dues,” he said. State irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said the cabinet also decided to write to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) again to expedite the investigation into the alleged irregularities in the construction of Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project on Godavari River during the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the cabinet deliberated in detail the judgement of the state high court on the Justice P C Ghose Commission report on the irregularities in the Kaleshwaram project. “The cabinet noted that the high court did not find fault with either the constitution of the judicial commission or its report, affirming both as legally and constitutionally valid,” the minister said. He pointed out that the court had raised objections only technical grounds, stating that notices were not issued to the petitioners. It ruled that references made against individuals in the report should not be enforced, and no action should be initiated based solely on those findings, Uttam Kumar Reddy said. “The cabinet observed that the state government had already issued orders for a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the project, but the investigation has not commenced even after nine months. Legal experts have clarified that the High Court verdict does not hinder a CBI inquiry,” he said. Accordingly, the cabinet decided to once again urge the CBI to expedite the investigation. It also resolved to consult legal experts in Delhi on whether to approach the Supreme Court of India after a comprehensive review of the high court judgment, the minister said. The cabinet approved the appointment of governing bodies through a nomination process for Primary Agricultural Credit Cooperative Societies (PACS) whose terms have expired, ensuring continuity in cooperative credit operations. The cabinet also granted approval or the redevelopment of Gachibowli Indoor Stadium under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model. The project will cover 76 acres, with 64 acres dedicated to developing facilities for 21 different sports, Ponguleti said. “The outdoor stadium capacity will be expanded from 20,000 to 50,000. Plans also include enhancing swimming facilities, establishing a sports university, and providing residential and training infrastructure for athletes. The remaining 12 acres will be allocated for commercial development, with revenues earmarked to support the sports university, athlete welfare, and training programmes,” he said. The cabinet approved the completion of land acquisition for the long-pending Chinna Kaleshwaram project in the Manthani constituency. The project is expected to benefit around 45,000 acres and residents of 63 villages across Mahadevpur, Kataram, Malhar Rao, and Mahamutharam mandals. Of the total 2,427 acres required, 1,020 acres have already been acquired. The Cabinet sanctioned ₹166.67 crore for acquiring the remaining land, aiming to remove delays caused by land issues. Srinivasa Rao is Senior Assistant Editor based out of Hyderabad covering developments in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana . He has over three decades of reporting experience.