Attributing the government’s inability to agree to all the employees’ demands to the State’s “extremely tight financial position,” Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy said on Sunday that the salary bill, which had been ₹52,000 crore in 2018-19, was estimated to increase to ₹67,000 crore this year in the normal course and by another ₹11,000 crore on account of the extra payments towards the re-revised HRA, CCA, additional quantum of pensions, and a few other benefits.
In spite of the State’s own revenues remaining stagnant at approximately ₹60,000 crore in 2020-21 against the projected ₹84,000 crore, the government, by and large, satisfied the employees by delivering most of what they had asked for, the Chief Minister said while addressing the leaders of the PRC Sadhana Samithi who called on him at his camp office. “The employees can still take any problem to the notice of the Group of Ministers and support the staff of the senior officers, which will be a permanent body. They should, hereafter, think of going on strike only as a last resort,” Mr. Jagan suggested.
