Telangana: No salaries for multipurpose workers in different Gram Panchayats since months

Despite toiling hard for long hours, multipurpose workers in different Gram Panchayats are not getting their salaries for more than three months

Hyderabad: Despite toiling hard for long hours, multipurpose workers in different Gram Panchayats are not getting their salaries for more than three months.

In a few cases, the salaries are due for more than five months. Depending on the population in a village, the gram panchayats appoint multipurpose workers. Generally, for every 500 persons in a village, one worker is appointed and if the population is 1000, then two workers are appointed.

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These multipurpose workers water the saplings, sweep the roads, clear trash and transport to dump yard, drive water tankers and tractors and take up different works. At many times, their services are used to maintain Palle Prakruthi vanams and nurseries as well.

Despite the strenuous job, these workers are not getting salaries for the last three months. Representations have been submitted to the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister D Anasuya and department officials. They assured that salaries would be paid but the issue persists, Telangana Gram Panchayat Employees and Workers Association president T Narasimha Reddy.

These workers are paid a monthly salary of Rs.9,500. And this was after the previous government increased the salaries by Rs.1,000. The workers have been demanding the government to pay them Rs.19,000 as per the First Pay Commission.

The sad part was that these workers were not employed as Gram Panchayat workers or on contract basis by any contractor. To make matters worse, the Special Officers have been appointed to the Gram Panchayats as the panchayats term expired recently.

In many panchayats, cheque powers have not been assigned to these officers. This was also delaying the workers’ salaries, besides execution of different works, he said.

Citing accidents, the workers are also demanding the government to extend accidental insurance coverage.

There have been a few instances in which workers lost lives when tractors overturned and in other cases, they were bed-ridden. Like other workers, the State government should extend Rs.5 lakh insurance coverage to the workers in gram panchayats, workers demanded in a representation submitted to PRRD Commissioner Anita Ramachandran last week.