It was an unusual festival time for the employees of Andhra Pradesh state government. After a gap of four and half years, they received salaries on the 1st of July. They were surprised when their salaries of government were credited to their bank accounts on the same date.
While the salaries of the employees fell by almost 90 percent on Monday, the pensioners also received 50 percent of their pensions. Officials of the Finance Department say that the rest will also get their salaries and pensions in full by Tuesday. Police, Revenue, Health, Panchayat Raj employees will get salaries.
In some districts almost100 percent of salaries have been credited. Most of them have not received their salaries due to the late payment of teachers’ bills. Officials revealed that everyone will get 100 percent on Tuesday.
It is known that almost all the bills have been cleared completely across the state. Without any prior announcement, when the salaries started credited into their bank accounts starting from 1st afternoon, government employees were surprised.
For the last four and half years during YS Jaganmohan Reddy’s regime, never salaries were credited on the 1st of a month. Sometimes, it goes on delay beyond the middle of the month also. Only by the third week of the month salaries and pensions were to be paid in full.
Employees who had to pay EMIs and consumer bills in the first week of every month suffered badly. Due to their prior financial commitments they were locked into debt trap and also sometimes additional burden of interests haunting them.
Pensioners also faced difficulties in getting timely money for hospital expenses, medicines and other expenses. But in the first month after the coming of the coalition government, the employees received almost full salaries and more than half of the pensions.
Government employees need Rs.5,500 crores per month including salaries and pensions. During the YCP government, the exchequer used to get an income of up to Rs.13,000 crores per month. Week after week they used to bring loans to the recipient. However, salaries and pensions were not paid on time even for a single month.
Apart from salaries, PRC arrears, DA arrears, GPF, advance applications, EL encashment and surrender leaves bills were also pending. With the 11th PRC given by Jagan, the salaries of the employees did not increase but decreased somewhat.