Latest news with #DAs
United News of India
5 days ago
- Health
- United News of India
Telangana Cabinet okays pending DAs for govt staff
Hyderabad, May 6 (UNI) In the backdrop of employee unions threatening agitation over long pending demands, the Telangana Cabinet has approved the release of two pending Dearness Allowances (DAs) to the staff and also sanctioned Rs 700 crore to clear their pending bills. Briefing the media after a marathon cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister a Revanth Reddy held here on Thursday night, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka said that a part of the two DAs will be implemented immediately, and another six months. Bhatti, who heads the cabinet sub-committee on employees' grievances, gave a detailed presentation and said it was decided that the pending bills of employees amounting to ₹700 crore per month should be cleared without delay. About the health insurance scheme for employees, he said a trust would be set up under the leadership of the chief secretary and officials would be members of the trust. Under the scheme, each employee will contribute ₹500 per month, and the government will contribute an equal amount, the Deputy CM said. He said the government accepted the employee unions' demand for a 12.5 per cent quota in the secretariat. The government was also inclined to form a medical invalidation committee to assess cases of medical retirement, he said. The cabinet decided not to re-employ retired employees, he said. Referring to grading of panchayat staff, Bhatti said employees working in village panchayats would be graded according to the panchayats' classification. The Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) will be set up for processing employees' promotions, said the minister. Officers and employees who were transferred during the election period would be sent back to their original positions, he said. The government agreed to establish a director of nursing, he said, adding the Cabinet decided to increase Rs 2 lakh towards retirement benefits for Anganwadi workers. The pending bills related to government officials' rental vehicles would be cleared, and the vehicle limits will be revised upwards, he added. UNI KNR PRS
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Employees' JAC distances itself from political parties, leaders
Hyderabad: The Telangana govt employees' joint action committee (JAC) has stated that they do not have any links with any political party or its leaders. The JAC will continue its democratic course of action to exert pressure on the Congress govt to implement their long-pending demands. "The talks with the IAS officers' committee, led by Navin Mittal, have been completed. The committee also briefed about their consultation process and priority demands of the JAC to deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka recently. Bhatti is expected to meet the committee members and also some of the members of the JAC soon. "We welcome the support extended by BRS to the long-pending demands of the employees. However, the JAC is a non-political umbrella of employees and pensioners. We neither favour nor will follow any political party, and we will not tolerate or allow any attempt to create a rift between employees and the govt," JAC secretary general Eluri Sreenivasa Rao told TOI. He was referring to former employees' union leaders from gazetted and non-gazetted officers' associations, teachers' associations, among others, who recently said they would support the JAC in taking on the govt. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Pouso Alegre: Quanto vale a sua casa? Descubra agora! Valor da casa | Anúncios de pesquisa Saiba Mais Undo "All such leaders retired or took voluntary retirement and benefited politically with posts in the previous govt. There is no link between the JAC and such leaders," Sreenivasa Rao said. The JAC has made it clear to the Mittal committee that the employees would go on strike from June 9 if at least some of their demands, like the release of pending Dearness Allowances (DAs) and pending bills, the announcement of the date on which the govt would seek the PRC report, and clarity on reverting back to the old pension system, were not met. Sources said the govt was also in a positive mood to implement some of the financial and non-financial demands of the JAC. "The possibility of the govt releasing one is not being ruled out. While one DA could be released immediately after talks with the JAC, an exact date is likely to be given for the release of another DA," the sources said. Additionally, the govt might concede to a few other non-financial demands, such as general transfers, reverting employees to their place of posting before they were transferred during elections, and issuing orders for promotions. Officials said the release of a DA would cost 300 crore to the state. Some of the pending bills of the employees would also be released, and a committee is likely to be constituted to look into the health cards and new rates for medical treatment and reimbursement.
United News of India
27-05-2025
- Health
- United News of India
TGSRTC committed to employee welfare, says MD VC Sajjanar
Hyderabad, May 27 (UNI) Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) Managing Director VC Sajjanar reaffirmed the corporation's commitment to the welfare of its employees, stating that all pending issues will be addressed in a phased manner with the support of the state government. Sajjanar made these remarks during a meeting with the State-level Employee Welfare Board held at the TGSRTC Kalabhavan in Baglingampally on Tuesday. As chief guest, he interacted with board members and senior officials, taking stock of field-level issues and receiving valuable feedback. He emphasised that the management prioritizes the well-being of employees who are working with dedication to ensure passenger safety. Highlighting several welfare initiatives, Sajjanar said that salaries are being paid on time every month, the 2017 PRC and 2013 RPS bonds were released with 21% fitment, and pending Dearness Allowances (DAs) have been sanctioned. The MD informed that compassionate appointments have been provided to the families of 2,350 employees who died in service, and jobs were offered to 537 medically unfit employees. Under the Grand Health Challenge initiative, health screenings were conducted for all staff, resulting in life-saving interventions for 726 employees and 184 of their spouses. Sajjanar addressed concerns over temporary recruitments of drivers and conductors to manage the increased workload due to the Mahalaxmi scheme. He clarified that while 3,036 regular posts have been approved by the state government, recruitment is delayed due to technical reasons but will be conducted strictly according to rules. He urged employees not to be misled by false propaganda or provocative statements being made by a few individuals. He also appealed to the central government to support TGSRTC in procuring electric buses, with backing from the state government, in line with green mobility goals. Sajjanar assured that all decisions made by the management are transparent and in the best interest of both the employees and the organisation, with no personal motives involved. He encouraged Welfare Board members to act as a bridge between the staff and management and to openly communicate employee concerns to senior leadership. He added that the suggestions made during the meeting will be seriously considered. The meeting was attended by Executive Directors Munishekhar, Khushrosha Khan, Solomon, Venkanna, Rajasekhar, Finance Advisor Vijayapushpa, heads of departments, and others, a TGSRTC statement said. UNI VV GNK
New Indian Express
18-05-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
BRS to fight for the rights of employees
HYDERABAD: The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) on Saturday announced plans to launch a coordinated campaign to pressure the Congress government into addressing long-pending demands of state employees. A strategy meeting, held at the residence of former minister T Harish Rao and led by BRS working president K T Rama Rao, brought together former leaders of employees' associations, retired officials, and representatives of various teachers' and employees' unions. During the meeting, Rama Rao and Harish Rao held discussions with former union leaders and ministers, including MLCs Srinivas Goud, Swamy Goud, Deviprasad, and others. The agenda focused on key issues such as pending Dearness Allowances (DAs), implementation of Pay Revision Commission (PRC) recommendations, release of retirement benefits, and other employee concerns. Expressing deep concern over the state government's inaction, Rama Rao and Harish Rao stated, 'It is our duty as the principal opposition to stand by government employees. We will not remain silent while lakhs of employees suffer due to a negligent government.' The BRS leadership emphasised the need to formulate a clear action plan in the coming days. The party also extended its support to active employees' union leaders and encouraged former union heads — particularly those who played a significant role in the Telangana statehood movement — to participate in this renewed effort. 'BRS has always upheld the rights and aspirations of government employees. We are committed to working alongside them and applying pressure on the government to ensure justice,' the leaders affirmed. The party is expected to unveil a detailed action strategy soon and rally support from employees' associations across the state.
The Citizen
29-04-2025
- Business
- The Citizen
Hidden dangers of increasingly advanced AI assistants
As AI assistants in South Africa continue to increase, so do the risks. The evolution of AI assistants over the past few years is nothing short of remarkable. Picture: Trend Micro. Artificial Intelligence (AI) assistants are becoming more prominent and continue to increase as people require efficient and speedy service. From querying about a product online to seeking help with your mobile contract, more and more companies are using digital assistants (DA) to cope with the influx of customers wanting attention. Risks However, as AI assistants in South Africa proliferate, so do the risks. Trend Micro Solutions Architect for the Middle East and Africa Zaheer Ebrahim said the evolution of AI assistants over the past few years is nothing short of remarkable. 'Initially designed to perform simple tasks such as setting reminders and playing music, these AI-driven software systems have transformed into sophisticated conversational agents, powered by advanced large language models like ChatGPT and Google Gemini.' ALSO READ: South Africa on track to regulate artificial intelligence Extraordinary ability DAs exhibit an extraordinary ability to understand and respond to natural language queries with impressive accuracy and context sensitivity. However, Ebrahim warns that as advanced helpers become more sophisticated, the security risks become more complex. 'It is imperative for both developers and users to be proactive and vigilant in addressing emerging threats, ensuring that the benefits of AI are not overshadowed by potential vulnerabilities. New threats As DA's become increasingly integrated into daily life and interconnected with various devices and services, they become attractive targets for malicious actors. Ebrahim said continuous interaction with DA's generates enormous amounts of personal data, including names, addresses, e-mail addresses, phone numbers and even sensitive health information. 'This data is essential for providing personalised and proactive assistance. However, it also raises significant privacy concerns. 'Unauthorised access or misuse of this data can lead to severe consequences, making robust data protection measures crucial. 'Encryption of sensitive data, both at rest and in transit, is a fundamental security measure that needs to be prioritised,' Ebrahim warned. ALSO READ: Opera adds Aria AI assistant to Opera Mini on Android Custom skills Ebrahim added that the advanced helpers also bring malicious 'custom skills' that seem legitimate but actually contain harmful functions. 'In this context, 'skills' refer to specific features or abilities that can be added to AI assistants to enhance their functionality, similar to apps on smartphones. These rogue skills can manipulate the assistant's responses to provide false information.' Social engineering He said social engineering can also be executed through DAs, where attackers manipulate the output generated by these assistants to deceive users. 'For instance, a DA might be instructed to relay a seemingly legitimate message from a trusted source, leading users to take harmful actions. 'This threat is particularly concerning as DAs take on more sophisticated tasks, such as managing user finances.' Recommendations Ebrahim said that to address these digital assistant-based threats, it is essential for both developers and users to be able to recognise the types of personally identifiable information collected by DAS and collaborate to promote a culture of security awareness, responsible behaviour and best practices. 'A holistic approach incorporating multiple layers of defence is key. Robust authentication mechanisms can ensure user identity verification and safeguard against unauthorised access. 'Encrypting sensitive data at various levels – at rest, in transit and within the DA's internal memory -protects user information from malicious actors.' Ebrahim advised that employing advanced threat detection techniques, utilising machine learning algorithms and behavioural analysis can proactively defend against evolving cyber threats. ALSO READ: The rise of AI tools and their impact on smartphone use
