CHENNAI: Chief minister M K Stalin on Tuesday announced a slew of measures for government employees, including advancing disbursement of hike in dearness allowance, cancelling suspension on the last working day for staff facing disciplinary action, regularisation of strike and suspension days as working days and simplifying procedures for compassionate appointments.
In a suo motu statement in the state assembly, Stalin said despite a financial crisis the state government would implement the dearness allowance hike from January 1, 2022, which is three months in advance, following requests from government employees’ unions. "Due to this decision, 16 lakh government employees and pensioners will be benefited. The government will incur an additional expenditure of 620crore and an annual expenditure of 6,480crore," he said. Stalin said the government would end the practice of suspending government employees, facing disciplinary and other charges, on the last working day. He further announced that the government would release new guidelines simplifying the norms for appointment under compassionate grounds. "After considering the demands of employees’ unions, the government decided to regularize the strike and suspension periods of government employees, who participated in various strikes called by unions in 2016, 2017 and 2019. The teachers, who were transferred will be given priority in transfer counselling. The government will cancel all disciplinary actions initiated against teachers during the strike and in case their promotion is affected by the disciplinary action, it will be rectified," CM said.
Further, the retirement age for noon meal workers would be increased from 58 to 60 years. The CM said the increment for higher educational qualification which was cancelled in 2020 would be restored again by following the Union government's guidelines. "With increase in enrolment in government schools, the government will take measures to appoint more teachers to meet the teacher: student ratio," he said. The chief minister said steps would be taken to fill vacancies for posts of junior assistants in government schools through Tamil Nadu Public Service Commission (TNPSC). Moreover, an order would be passed to include sons and daughters of government employees, dependent on them, without considering their age, under the health insurance scheme for government staff. For Covid-19 treatment, the government would fund the excess amount in case the treatment cost exceeds 10 lakh.
