KRMB scraps staff incentive scheme, draws flak for ignoring water-sharing issues

KRMB has scrapped its staff incentive scheme following a court order but drew criticism for prioritising internal staff matters over critical water-sharing issues between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. No major discussions on water allocation were held during the meeting

Hyderabad: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) has decided to discontinue its special employee incentive scheme with immediate effect. The decision was taken during the Board’s 20th special meeting held at its Jala Soudha office here on Friday, with the incentive issue being the sole item on the agenda.

The move has attracted sharp criticism from water management experts and stakeholders, who questioned the Board’s priorities. Critics pointed out that instead of focusing on the critical and unresolved Krishna river water-sharing disputes between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, the Board spent its time deliberating on internal staff benefits.

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The incentive scheme, introduced in October 2020, provided a 25% bonus on basic pay to KRMB employees, citing the inter-State nature of their responsibilities. However, payments were stopped in early 2023 following a directive from the Department of Water Resources, which also ordered recovery of the amounts already paid.

In February 2025, the Telangana High Court ruled that employees were not liable to return the incentive payments already received but barred any further disbursements. Based on legal advice, the Board decided not to contest the ruling and formally ended the incentive scheme, also foregoing recovery of past payments in view of employee welfare and legal complications.

Experts, however, criticised the Board for dedicating an entire meeting to this issue while no substantive discussion was held on the water-sharing imbroglio. Key issues such as the installation of additional telemetry systems and equitable distribution of Krishna waters were left unaddressed.

Telangana has consistently demanded a 50:50 share of Krishna river waters post-bifurcation, opposing the existing 512:299 TMC allocation in favour of Andhra Pradesh. Delays in addressing these disputes continue to impact water releases for irrigation, industrial use, and drinking water requirements in both States.

KRMB chairman Atul Jain presided over the meeting, with some officials participating virtually.