In a step that took it closer to a confrontation with the employees over revised pay scales 2022, the State government ordered that disciplinary action should be taken against Drawing & Disbursing Officers (DDOs) Sub-Treasury Officers (STOs) etc., who failed in discharging their duties by 6 p.m. on January 29 (Saturday), as per AP Civil Services Conduct Rules and, more importantly, to ensure timely payment of salaries for January by proposing an alternative mechanism if the situation warranted.
Special Chief Secretary (Finance) S.S. Rawat stated in a circular memo that comprehensive instructions were issued earlier to enable the disbursal of salaries, pensions etc. and timelines were set for pay fixation and preparation of pay bills for January 2022.
Notwithstanding those instructions, many DDOs had not prepared the said pay bills and the STOs did not approve the bills.
The government had decided that it cannot remain a bystander to the flagrant violation of its instructions, and the acts of omission that led to the non-payment of salaries and other benefits to employees, pensioners, contract workers, village and ward employees, outsourced workers, full/part time contingent employees, daily wage workers as also home-guards, ASHA workers, Anganwadi workers, mid-day meal service providers etc. Hence, the instruction to take action against the officers responsible for the impasse.
On the other hand, the government issued G.O. Ms.No.12 on Saturday allowing House Rent Allowance (HRA) to be paid at the rate of 16% to all employees in the offices of Heads of Departments (HoDs) who relocated from Hyderabad and whose office locations fall in the 8% HRA area, on a par with employees working in the Secretariat at Velagapudi and other HoD offices in Vijayawada.
It was stated in the G.O. that orders were issued on a previous occasion for the implementation of revised pay scales 2022 for all employees drawing their pay as per the RPS 2015. Upon a representation received from the HoDs of the Director of Works Accounts and Pay and Accounts Office for allowing 16% HRA, the decision to double the HRA from 8% to 16% was taken.
Protests
Meanwhile, leaders of the PRC Sadhana Samiti staged demonstrations at various places in the State in protest against the government’s stubbornness in not addressing the concerns raised by them.
They expressed regret that the government was blaming employees for the deadlock even as the PRC Sadhana Samiti made it amply clear that they were willing to participate in the negotiations provided the G.Os were cancelled or at least kept in abeyance till the issues were sorted out.
