Hyderabad, Jan 12 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy announced on Monday that the state government will soon appoint a Commission headed by a retired High Court or Supreme Court judge for the reorganisation of districts.

He said that in view of the growing demands related to the reorganisation of mandals, revenue divisions and districts, a Commission comprising experts from different fields and senior officials, under the leadership of a retired judge, will soon be appointed.

The Commission will tour different districts and regions, study the issue on the lines of the constituency delimitation process, and collect public opinion. After placing the Commission’s report before the Assembly and holding a detailed discussion, guidelines for rationalisation will be issued.

Releasing Telangana Gazetted Officers Association’s diary and calendar at the Secretariat, the Chief Minister alleged that districts and mandals were divided arbitrarily during the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) rule.

As the Sankranti gift for government employees, he announced the release of Dearness Allowance (DA).

He said the DA payment would impose an additional Rs 225 crore per month burden on the State exchequer.

The Chief Minister assured a positive approach towards retirement benefits, health security, and the construction of association offices.

The government will soon decide on providing Rs 1 crore accident insurance cover for every government employee. He reiterated that retirement benefits are an employee’s right, and explained the current retirement scenario following the increase in retirement age from 58 to 61 years. Payments towards employee benefits are being made every month and will be enhanced further from the next financial year.

Stating that all 10 lakh plus employees are part of the government, he said, despite facing a financial crunch, the government was paying salaries to them without any delay.

He stated that when the Congress government assumed office, pending employee benefits amounted to Rs 11,000 crore, contractor dues stood at Rs 40,000 crore, besides outstanding dues to Singareni Collieries and power utilities.

He said the State government inherited pending liabilities of about Rs 1.11 lakh crore, in addition to bank loans. In total, the debt burden was around Rs 8.11 lakh crore.

Soon after assuming office, the government placed a white paper on the State’s financial position in the Assembly. To clear all dues, around Rs 30,000 crore per month is required, whereas the State’s monthly revenue is about Rs 18,000-18,500 crore.

Drawing an analogy with a middle-class household managing finances with dignity and balance, the Chief Minister said the government is also moving forward in a similar responsible manner, correcting issues step by step.

–IANS

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