Andhra Pradesh staff to get pending dearness allowance

Vijayawada: The AP Cabinet on Thursday decided to give dearness allowance to state government employees, which had been pending, for the period January 1, 2016 to September 31, 2016. This would be added to the employees' General Provident Fund.

Briefing mediapersons on decisions taken by the Cabinet, minister Prattipati Pulla Rao said, “The state government has to bear the burden of Rs 100 crore.” The AP Cabinet has decided to regularise encroached government lands where there are no objections on the recommendations of the group of ministers on the matter.

For below poverty line families the land between 1 and 100 sq. feet will be free. Families above the poverty line will be charged 7.5 per cent as registration fee for land between 1 and 100 sq.ft, 15 per cent for land between 101 and 250 sq.ft and 30 per cent for land up to 500 sq.ft. The Cabinet also decided to encourage alternative crops to cotton, and approved a '53.5-crore special package to farmers who were cultivating alternative crops, with a 75 per cent subsidy on seeds. The new marketing policy designed by the AP Mineral Development Corporation of scientific mining of barities was approved.