Close on the heels of the Telangana government, the Andhra Pradesh government led by chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy, too, has decided to impose major cuts in the salaries of its employees of all categories for the month of March.
Orders to this effect would be issued later in the evening. But the decision was conveyed to the leaders of AP Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association on Tuesday.
The cuts in the salaries are exactly on the lines of the Telangana government – ranging from 60 per cent in the wages of All India Service Officers like IAS, IPS and IFS officers, 50 per cent in the salaries of all state government employees and 10 per cent in the wages of Class IV employees like attenders, drivers and sweepers.
Similar cuts are likely to be imposed in the pensions of retired employees – ranging from 50 per cent for normal retired employees and 10 per cent for Class IV retired employees.
However, Jagan has gone a step further, compared to his Telangana counterpart K Chandrasekhar Rao.
The Telangana government imposed a 75 per cent cut in the salaries of CM, ministers, MLAs, MPs and MLCs, besides elected representatives of all urban and rural local bodies.
But Jagan announced that there would be 100 per cent cut in the salaries of all the elected political leaders – starting from CM to the village sarpanch.
The APNGOs’ Association leaders said the salary cuts could be only for one month and the deducted amount would be reimbursed in later months.
But the Telangana government said the salary cut GO would continue to be in force until further orders, indicating that the salaries could be slashed next month as well!
