AP: Contract staff drawing hefty pay with no qualification and work

Vijayawada: In violation of Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy’s directive and a related government order, several persons are working on contract basis with hefty wages in various corporations and societies in AP without proper academic or other qualifications. This is causing a severe strain on the exchequer.

The state government issued GO-Rt 2323 in November, 2019 to dispense with the services of retired government officials and other personnel working on contract/outsourcing basis and drawing a remuneration of Rs 40,000 and above, from March 31 that year. The order was aimed at optimising and reorienting the available human resources and to ensure transparent, accountable and honest governance.

The GO stated that prior permission of the CM must be taken if any retired government servant or any other person is to be inducted on contract basis with such high salary. However, ignoring the CM’s call and GO, several societies/corporations like the Andhra Pradesh Technology Services, the AP Skill Development Society, the AP Non-Resident Telugu Society, the AP Information Technology Academy and the e-Pragati have recruited many persons on contract basis. Some of these are getting monthly pay as high as Rs 2.5 lakh or more.

Several of these persons are not having the requisite academic qualification and some are not even provided a job chart as to what they should do on a daily basis.

Highly placed sources said a contract employee identified as Sureshkumar Reddy working with APTS is drawing Rs 2.50 lakh while another by name Shivasankar Reddy draws Rs 2.36 lakh. Several of these contract employees are drawing more than Rs 1 lakh on an average every month.

The sources said their mode of payment is either via the Comprehensive Financial Management System or through the treasury. They are allegedly bribing staff at CFMS and treasury to get their wage bills cleared without any trouble and getting support from the top brass to remain in service by flouting all norms.

Regular government employees complain about these contract employees drawing hefty wages with no proper work. One employee noted, “Even for a Group-1 officer, it takes several years of experience to draw Rs 1 lakh per month as salary. These contract employees have no proper academic qualifications and work allotment. It is high time such illegal practices are curbed.”