Congress to pay all govt staff on Jan. 5, says salaries on first from next month

Hyderabad: The Congress government on Monday announced it would pay salaries to all government employees at a go this month, on January 5, and aiming to pay salaries to employees on the first of every month, starting February.

During the previous BRS regime, salaries were delayed and were paid in phases, district-wise, till the third week of every month, causing several hardships to employees.

Due to delayed salaries, government employees who took bank loans and needed to pay EMIs faced hardships. Employees complained that their CIBIL score was hit as they defaulted on repayment due to delayed salaries and lack of sufficient balance in their accounts, which would hinder them in obtaining fresh loans as well.

A poll plank of the Congress in the election run-up was its promise to pay salaries to staff on the first of every month, if voted to power.

However, despite the Congress assuming power and Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy assuming office on December 7, salaries were not paid on January 1, with sources saying all efforts are on to ensure payment on the first of the next month.

In erstwhile undivided Andhra Pradesh, all employees got salaries on the first week of every month. But after BRS came to power in 2014, salaries were paid on the first of the month only for a few months and were delayed every month.

The Covid-induced financial crisis in 2020 worsened the situation as only employees in Hyderabad and Rangareddy got salaries in the first week, while it was done in phases, alphabetically, to employees in other districts.

Employee unions said finance officials grouped six districts each in six clusters in all, with three additional districts also added to some, to cover all 33 districts. While the first cluster would receive salaries in the first week of the first month, it would be shifted to the sixth cluster in the subsequent month.

They said officials shuffled the clusters bimonthly to ensure that all clusters received salaries between the first week and third week; and in some cases, the fourth week of the next month.