HYDERABAD: TPCC president A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday wrote an open letter to Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, stating that the government which gloats over the fact that 79 gram panchayats have won awards should recognise the work of those who made it possible, and regularise their services forthwith.
Stating that the government was busy politicking and ignoring the 12-day-old strike of junior panchayat secretaries (JPS), he said, “Government seems to be considering the panchayat secretaries as bonded labour. The party which came to power campaigning against contract jobs, issued a notification in 2018 with many conditions and made them sign on Rs 100 bonded paper.” That period ended April 11, last year and the Chief Minister had promised to regularise their services after another year.
“The government instead of paying heed to their genuine demands is resorting to threatening them with dismissal which is unacceptable,” Revanth Reddy said and alleged that 1,500 of JPSs had left their jobs owing to politicking at the local level and 44 of them died due to health problems.
He said the JPSs should be recognised as Grade 4 employees. Family members of those dead should be given a job on compassionate grounds and women employees should be given six months maternity leave and 90 days leave for child care, Revanth Reddy demanded.
