Revanth Reddy admits GST collections rise, employees question delay in pensions, benefits

Despite Telangana’s record GST collections, government employees and pensioners allege delays in pensions, DAs, and GPF processing under the Congress government. Protests led by TGEJAC highlight frustration as arrears mount, while officials face thousands of contempt cases over non-implementation of court orders.

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has acknowledged a significant increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections, prompting government employees to question why their pensions and other benefits continue to be delayed.

The issue has gained significance after government employees, pensioners and others staged a dharna at Indira Park on Thursday. Under the aegis of the Telangana Government Employees’ Joint Action Committee (TGEJAC), “Pension Vidroha Dinam” protests are also proposed across the State on Tuesday.

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Since April, GST collections have increased by nearly Rs. 1,000 crore. The State recorded its highest-ever monthly commercial tax collection of Rs. 7,865 crore in July. Telangana is the second State after Haryana to achieve this level of monthly collections, a senior official said.

The Chief Minister had disclosed at several meetings that Telangana increased its GST collections by Rs. 2,500 crore in four months through strict implementation of rules and the active participation of employees.

On average, monthly GST collections, which stood at around Rs. 3,000 crore, have increased to about Rs. 4,000 crore. The rise was mainly due to greater focus on GST filings rather than collections, while several loopholes were also plugged, the official said.

Against this backdrop, government employees are questioning why their benefits are being delayed.

In the past, General Provident Fund (GPF) applications were processed within a couple of days and the amount was released immediately. However, since the Congress government came to power, GPF applications have allegedly been facing inordinate delays, at times extending beyond a year, a TGEJAC member said.

“If GST collections are increasing steadily, why can’t the government release pending DAs, pensions and other benefits?” the TGEJAC member asked.

Employees are demanding that the government continue releasing Rs.2,000 crore every month towards clearing pending pension benefits, as it has done over the past three months.

More than 500 employees retire from service every month, resulting in around Rs. 450 crore to Rs. 500 crore being added to the pension dues, employees said. They demanded that the government allocate funds every month to address the accumulating arrears.

Meanwhile, senior officials are facing contempt of court cases over delays in implementing orders, with some appearing before courts despite claiming they were not responsible for the delays.

A senior Finance Department official has over 3,000 contempt cases and an arrest warrant was also issued against the officer, according to sources.

Fearing stern action, the officer appeared before the court. Employees and officials pointed out that every such court case also imposes an additional financial burden on the government in the form of legal fees.