
Unions push for key reforms, want pending issues solved
They included constitution of the 12th Pay Revision Commission (PRC), sanction of 30% Interim Relief (IR), payment of three pending Dearness Allowances (DAs), clearance of 11th PRC DA arrears, settlement of all pending gratuity, commutation, and earned leave encashment dues to pensioners.
The leaders also demanded the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for employees, teachers, and police personnel recruited after 2004, in line with Government of India Memo No. 57, immediate appointments of family members of deceased Panchayat Raj teachers on compassionate grounds, abolition of the 'regressive' Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) and restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, enhancement of the retirement age from 60 to 62 years for employees of residential schools, societies, and public sector undertakings, special measures to ensure medical treatment under the Employees' Health Scheme (EHS) cards and increase of medical reimbursement limit from ₹2 lakh to ₹5 lakh.
The union leaders also insisted on a follow-up meeting to resolve these issues.
Mr. Vijayanand said of the 230 issues raised earlier, 115 had been resolved, 114 remained unresolved, while one was under process of being uploaded.
Teachers' association concerns
Leaders of the Andhra Pradesh Teachers Federation have sought to form a committee to frame unified service rules. Other issues highlighted include promotions for junior lecturers, steps to exempt blind and severely disabled teachers from facial recognition attendance, enhancement of retirement age to 62 years for employees of residential schools, societies, and public sector institutions and extension of Minimum Time Scale (MTS) benefits to the Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya teachers.
Special Chief Secretaries, Principal Secretaries, and Secretaries of various departments, along with representatives of 14 employees' and teachers' associations, participated in the meeting.
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Hans India
an hour ago
- Hans India
District water bulletins to be released on Sept 1: CS
Vijayawada: In a state-wide push to monitor and manage water resources, chief secretary K Vijayanand directed district collectors to release district water bulletins on September 1. He issued this directive during a videoconference on Thursday where he and the collectors discussed several key initiatives, including the renovation of minor irrigation tanks, the Swarnandhra Pradesh Monitoring Dashboard, and the Swachh Andhra programme. Vijayanand referred to the government's comprehensive plan to renovate all minor irrigation tanks in the state. He noted that Andhra Pradesh has received better-than-normal rainfall this season and anticipates this trend will continue. The chief secretary instructed collectors to take proactive steps to increase groundwater levels in all districts. Andhra Pradesh was recently ranked first among the top 10 states in the National Water Mission. Vijayanand commended the state's performance and specifically congratulated the collectors of Parvathipuram Manyam, ASR, Annamaiyya, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram that were featured in the top 10 districts nationwide. The chief secretary also announced the 'Swachh Andhra Swarnandhra' programme, which will be held across the state this Saturday. To honour outstanding service, the 'Swachh Andhra Awards' will be presented on Gandhi Jayanti. A total of 50 state-level awards and 55 district-level awards will be given out in various categories, including Swachh Municipality, Swachh Village and Swachh School. Additionally, Vijayanand instructed collectors to ensure all data is entered into the Swarnandhra Monitoring Dashboard by August 25. He noted that 513 key performance indicators have been identified across 28 departments and 60 heads of departments, and collectors must work to meet these targets at the district level. In a separate directive, the Chief Secretary instructed collectors to collaborate with district judges to prepare a list of five lawyers for each of the 204 vacant judicial positions across the state. Special chief secretary for the water resources department, G Sai Prasad, also informed collectors that all 38,385 of the state's minor irrigation tanks need to be fully renovated. Government orders have already been issued to strengthen pond bunds, feeders, and supply channels.


Hindustan Times
5 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Himachal assembly monsoon session: Congress, BJP spar over pending DA, arrears to government
Uproar, commotion marked the fourth day of the monsoon session of the Himachal Pradesh assembly on Thursday as Congress and Bharatiya Janata Party exchanged barbs over the issue of pending Dearness Allowance (DA) and arrears for state government employees. Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu during monsoon session in Shimla on Thursday. (File) Congress blamed the delay and pendency of DA on poor fiscal health of the state owing to restriction imposed by Union government on state for implementing Old Pension Scheme (OPS), while MLA's of the saffron party moved out of the House as protest against what they termed as 'political replies' of chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu. The ruckus began during the question hour when BJP MLA from Una, Satpal Satti, raised the matter of pending DA and arrears. Dissatisfied with the government's reply, the BJP MLAs moved out of the House raising slogans. Responding to the question, Himachal Pradesh CM Sukhu said, 'State's financial health is not good but we hope improvement. We will release the pending instalments of dearness allowance (DA) once the financial condition of the state improves. We have paid 11% DA last year and have also made provision in the budget, which will be paid to the employees.' Sukhu said, 'We sanctioned OPS as a result of which the Centre blocked additional borrowing of ₹1,600 crore for the state, adversely impacting its fiscal health. When I raised the issue with the Centre we were pressurised to switch to UPS.' 'Despite economic constraints, our government has taken major decisions in favour of employees. All dues will be cleared once the financial position improves,' he added. BJP MLA from Sullah, Vipin Singh Parmar, accused the CM of misleading, by saying that during the budget session you had assured to release the pending DA by May but the same had not been paid. Leader of Opposition and former chief minister Jai Ram Thakur remind the state government that they came to power with the support of the employees and thus they are accountable towards them. Jai Ram said, 'You (CM) keep harping and blaming the former government.' Later talking to the media outside the assembly, Jai Ram said, 'Chief minister was repeatedly giving political answers in the House rather than addressing the core issue. The Congress government came to power because of the support of employees, and the promises made to them must be fulfilled. In his Budget speech, the CM announced that the pending 3% DA instalment would be released by May, but now August is ending and employees still have not received their dues. A total of 11% DA is pending.' He added, 'When the CM makes an announcement in the House, it is considered the government's 'full and final commitment'. But this government is failing to fulfil its own announcements. Instead of answering on the DA issue, the CM is referring to the arrears left by the previous government and making political statements.' Jai Ram reminded that when the Virbhadra Singh-led Congress government left office, there was also a burden of arrears, but the then BJP government cleared them. Urging the government to stop using financial constraints as an excuse, the LoP said it should honour its commitments and implement its promises without delay. Meanwhile, the CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu while addressing media, hit out at the opposition over moving out of the assembly on the issue of pending DA and arrears, said, 'Those who are talking about employees today are the same people who once ordered water cannons and lathi charges against them. They never implemented the OPS when in power and are now pretending to be well-wishers of employees.' Wrong power bill data in assembly: CM assures action Congress MLA Raghubir Singh (RS) Bali on Thursday, during zero hour, raised the issue of 'wrong and inflated' power bill presented in assembly during the ongoing monsoon session, and demanded probe into it. BJP MLA from Dharamshala, Sudhir Sharma, on Wednesday had sought the details of 14 months of electricity bills for residences of 10 Congress leaders, occupying government houses, including the CM and deputy CM. 'The matter was significant because the figures presented in response to a question were part of the assembly's official record a final document of the state and were later published in newspapers and circulated on social media,' Bali said. The bill for Bali's official residence, was shown as ₹6,78,000. Bali had moved into the residence in July 2023. After analysing and 'doing a DNA of the bill,' Bali found it to be inflated. Later talking to the media, Bali said, 'When I asked for the full details from January 2023 to July 2025, my actual bill for 32 months came to ₹2,98,308 – far lower than the ₹6.78 lakh as stated in the assembly. This discrepancy exists not just in my bill, but in others too,' he said. 'The CM's residence is much bigger than mine, yet my bill amount was high,' he said. Terming the matter a question of dignity for his constituency of Nagrota Bagwan, Bali said, 'If this was done deliberately, it is a very serious issue. Figures that go to the assembly must be thoroughly checked at the highest level.' Bali announced that henceforth, he would personally pay the electricity bills for his official residence. 'Even though my actual bill is less than that of several ministers, I will no longer have it paid from the government account. This is about the honour of my constituency and my family,' he said. Referring to the data discrepancy, Bali pointed out that Sudhir Sharma had sought details of only 14 months. 'Why only 14 months? Why not 12 or 24 months? This makes me suspicious. For 14 months, my bill was shown as ₹6.78 lakh, while the CM's clarification said it was actually around ₹1.4 lakh,' he said. Bali insisted that the variation in bills for 10 residences must be investigated. Responding to the issue of inflated power bills for legislators, CM Sukhu said that some MLAs had been handed bills for a period of 14 months, which included arrears. Sukhu told the house that the bills of ministers are issued by the electricity department but payments are made through the PWD. 'In this case, PWD mistakenly added arrears to the actual bill, which inflated the figure from ₹1.68 lakh to ₹6.78 lakh. Even in my case, a wrong bill of ₹3.76 lakh for 14 months was shown, whereas the actual payable amount was ₹1.47 lakh,' the CM said. Sukhu assured the house, 'The matter will be investigated, if any deliberate mischief was done in presenting wrong figures, responsibility would be fixed'. Taking cognisance of the matter, speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania directed that the issue be cross-examined, terming it a 'serious lapse' that should not be repeated. Govt will consider increasing the rent of rest houses in Himachal: CM CM Sukhu said that the state government will consider increasing the rent of the rest houses in Himachal. This assurance came in response to the concern raised by MLA from Kasauli, Vinod Sultanpuri, about the very low tariffs of government rest houses in tourist destinations. Sultanpuri pointed out that rest houses across Himachal, many located at premium spots and are being rented out to the public at rates as low as ₹500 a night. 'In Kasauli, even small homestays charge ₹2,500 per night. Tourists from Haryana and Punjab prefer staying in government rest houses because of low tariffs and they even carry mobile kitchens, adversely affecting the homestays.' He also raised the issue of the poor condition of the rest house in his area Kasauli and demanded its improvement. CM assured that the concerns will be sympathetically considered. Registration of committees will be done through SDM: Agnihotri Deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri told the House that registration of cooperative committees in the state will now be done through SDM. He gave this assurance to Congress MLA from Indora, Malender Rajan, who had raised the issue of registration of two or three committees in each panchayat. NOC from the fire department will be sympathetically considered: CM CM Sukhu assured the house that the issue of NOC from the fire department will be sympathetically considered regarding the home stays running in old houses in Manali area. He was responding to the issue raised by MLA Bhuvaneshwar Gaur. The CM said that keeping in mind the tourism sector, the government will also consider relaxation in the conditions of the fire department for old houses. MLA should send proposals for new projects: Anirudh Singh Rural Development and panchayati raj minister Anirudh Singh, in response to MLA Balbir Verma's question, said that he should send a new proposal to the CM for the development schemes of his area. Verma alleged that the state government had withdrawn money from the his constituency and had sought details as to when the money will be returned. Doctors are needed: Barsar MLA BJP MLA from Barsar Inder Dutt Lakhanpal raised the issue of poor health services. He said that Barsar Hospital has become a referral hospital due to lack of doctors. He questioned the government whether his hospital would be developed as an ideal health institution. Replying to him, health minister Colonel Dhani Ram Shandil said that Barsar civil hospital is being developed as Adarsh Swasthya Sansthan. He informed that posts of six specialist doctors, eight staff nurses and two operation theatre assistants are being sanctioned in such institutions. Along with this, machinery and equipment are also being purchased through Himachal Pradesh Medical Services Corporation Limited. Assembly demands Bharat Ratna to Himachal's first CM The assembly on Thursday, through voice note, passed a resolution demanding Bharat Ratna to Himachal's first CM Dr Yashwant Singh Parmar. Assembly speaker Kuldeep Singh Pathania said, 'The resolution passed in the Himachal assembly will be sent to the Government of India. In this, Bharat Ratna will be demanded from the Centre in view of Dr Parmar's contribution to the country before independence and for the formation of Himachal after independence.' On the Private Member's Day, Congress MLA from Nahan, Ajay Solanki, listed Dr Parmar's contribution to the country and the state in the House. Supporting the resolution, industries and parliamentary affairs minister Harshvardhan Chauhan said, 'Parmar was a man who could leave his office and travel back in a public bus, dressed simply, living only on his salary.' Revenue and Horticulture, Jagat Singh Negi said that it was because of Parmar's vision that Himachal is known today for its roads, horticulture, agriculture and education. 'When we talk about development, we must remember his time as CM, when he would walk for hours to reach far-flung tribal areas without expecting anything in return, only to connect with the people.' Deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri said, 'In one voice this resolution should be sent so that he gets the highest civilian award.' Education minister Rohit Thakur said, 'From institutions like the high court to HPU, many pillars of our present-day state were built during his era.' Former minister and MLA Sukhram Chaudhary said history is shaped not by events but by the work of great leaders like Parmar. Born on 4 August, 1906, in Sirmaur, YS Parmar was a prominent leader of the Indian National Congress. He has contributed a lot in bringing Himachal Pradesh into existence and laying the foundation of its development. He became the CM of Himachal from 1952 to 1956, MP in 1957 and the CM of Himachal for the second time from 1963 to 24 January, 1977.


Time of India
a day ago
- Time of India
Over 1,000 teachers stage protest, seek old pension scheme
Noida/Ghaziabad: Over 1,000 govt higher secondary teachers from Noida and Ghaziabad staged a demonstration outside the district school inspector's office on Tuesday, seeking restoration of the Old Pension Scheme. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Teachers said the New Pension Scheme (NPS) is a form of contributory pension and offered little post-retirement security. "The new pension scheme cannot ensure a dignified life post-retirement. An old pension is not a privilege; it is a necessity," said Mahesh Sharma, a senior teacher from Noida. Teachers also sought free medical facilities, reinstatement of the terminated ad-hoc teachers, equal pay for educators working in unaided schools, as well as measures for women's safety. The protesting teachers further pressed for reduced teaching hours during summer and called for an end to corruption within education departments. They also highlighted long-pending issues such as delayed payments of gratuity and allowances, non-payment of dues for past board evaluations, and a lack of career progression for subject-specific teachers like music and arts. Voicing concerns over women's safety, the protestors urged the education department to implement strict measures against harassment. Other demands that were raised included the resumption of group insurance as well as clear transfer policies. The protest also opposed the daily attendance portal system, demanded the appointment of computer teachers in all schools, and also sought the formation of the 8th pay commission well ahead of its scheduled implementation. "Changes are not possible at the district level. If any instruction comes at the state level, the department will implement that," said a senior education official.