Jagan’s cabinet okays take over of APSRTC

Chief Minister Y S Jaganmohan Reddy’s cabinet has in principle approved the taking over of the loss making state carrier the Andhra Pradesh State Transport Corporation (APSRTC), a long pending demand of the employees of the corporation.

The decision comes at a time when the staff union has declared strike from June 13.

The government will appoint a committee, which will submit its report within three months, to formulate modalities for the merger as it entitles the 55,628 employees' wages and other benefits at par with the state government employees.

At the six-hour-long maiden Cabinet meeting at the Secretariat here, the council of ministers ratified the earlier decision of hiking the emoluments of 7,265 Asha (Accredited Social Health activist) workers from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000 per month.

Similarly, community health workers in the Tribal welfare department will get a salary of Rs 4,000 in place of Rs 400.

Anganwadi workers and Home Guards will also receive enhanced wages.

It was decided that the YSR Rytu Bharosa scheme, through which every farmer will receive Rs 12,500 per acre as cash input, will start from October.

Old age pensions will be doled out with an addition of Rs 250 per head taking the total per month to Rs 2,250.

The Cabinet also decided to give a 27% Interim relief to all the government employees and agreed to scrap the Contributory pension Scheme (CPS) introduced by the TDP government.

Jagan asked the newly inducted ministers to provide a graft-free administration and take full responsibility of such doing in their respective departments.

“We will honour the employees and also the ministers who unearth scams in their departments,” Jagan said.

The cabinet also decided to do way with all the outsourcing agencies hired by the N Chandrababu Naidu government and take a fresh look at the system.

The government will also bring in an ordinance scrapping all the nominated posts appointed by the TDP government.