A crucial meeting took place at the Secretariat on Saturday, where a Group of Ministers (GoM) engaged in extensive discussions with representatives from various government employee unions and associations. The GoM included Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav, Civil Supplies Minister Nadendla Manohar, and Health, Medical and Family Welfare Minister Y. Satya Kumar.
The primary focus of these deliberations was the long-standing demands concerning Dearness Allowances (DAs) and other related employee matters, as confirmed in an official statement.
Addressing the gathered employees, Finance Minister Keshav conveyed Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s positive and empathetic stance towards their concerns. He emphasized that the Chief Minister views employees as an essential part of the administration and is actively striving to fulfill their demands to the fullest extent possible, even while navigating current financial limitations.
Minister Manohar further highlighted the Chief Minister’s dedication, revealing that Naidu held a comprehensive discussion with his ministerial colleagues and senior officials on October 16, specifically to devise strategies for addressing employee issues with utmost seriousness and a commitment to their well-being.
Echoing these sentiments, Minister Satya Kumar affirmed the Chief Minister’s special attention to finding solutions for the problems faced by government employees.
Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand reiterated the government’s proactive approach, noting that measures are being implemented to tackle the issues brought forward by the employees. He also mentioned that this GoM meeting followed an earlier Joint Consultative Committee discussion, demonstrating continuous engagement.
Among the senior officials present were Special Chief Secretary (Services) S.S. Rawat, Principal Secretary (Finance) Piyush Kumar, Principal Secretary (PR & RD) Shashi Bhushan Kumar, APSRTC Managing Director Ch. Dwarka Tirumala Rao, Secretary (IT) Katamneni Bhaskar, Finance Secretary Vinay Chand, Health Commissioner G. Veerapandian, and Director of Municipal Administration G. Sampath Kumar.
Key employee representatives at the meeting included A. Vidyasagar, president of the AP Non-Gazetted Officers’ Association; U. Manohar, general secretary of the AP Secretariat Employees’ Association; and Bopparaju Venkateswarlu, president of the Revenue Services Association, among others.