Congress governments in Telangana and Himachal face backlash over salary cut announcements

Cash-strapped Congress governments in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh have proposed steep salary cuts for politicians and officials to manage finances and clear dues, drawing criticism from employees who demand structural reforms instead.

Hyderabad: Facing mounting financial pressure, Congress governments in Telangana and Himachal Pradesh have turned to salary cuts to meet financial challenges. The move has triggered criticism from employees and officials.

In Himachal Pradesh, the government first cut the salaries of the Chief Minister, Ministers and legislators by 50 percent. It has now extended the measure to bureaucracy, imposing a 30 percent pay cut on IAS, IPS and other senior officers.

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Telangana is considering a similar step. The State Cabinet, which met on Thursday, discussed a proposal to reduce salaries of Ministers and elected representatives by 50 percent. The aim is to mobilise funds to clear pending retirement benefits.

The State has been releasing around Rs.700 crore every month to settle employee dues. Despite this, arrears remain high. The government owes about Rs.8,000 crore to pensioners and Rs.6,200 crore to serving employees, Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said.

Delays in settling these dues have drawn sharp criticism from employee groups. They argue that cutting salaries of public representatives does not address the core issue.

“Payment of retirement benefits is the government’s responsibility. By cutting Ministers and MLAs salaries, the government is not doing any favour to employees,” a Telangana Gazetted Officers Association leader said.

He added that pension is a fundamental right and delays have caused hardship to retired employees. Employee representatives rejected the government’s claim of financial constraints and urged it to focus on improving revenue.

They also pointed out that discussions held earlier with former RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan on economic strategies have not led to visible results.

In Himachal Pradesh too, the decision has upset senior officials. Many have questioned why bureaucrats should bear the burden of fiscal mismanagement, calling it a failure of political leadership, according to reports.