Telangana panchayat employees to protest on June 27 over two-month salary delay

Despite government claims of timely payments, over 92,000 employees of the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department in Telangana remain unpaid for two months. They plan to protest at the Commissioner’s office in Hyderabad on June 27 demanding resolution

Hyderabad: In sharp contrast to the Congress government’s claims of regular salary payments to government employees, staff working under the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development (PRRD) Department, including multipurpose workers in panchayats and employees in MPDO offices, have not received salaries for the past two months.

Frustrated by the prolonged delay, the employees have announced a protest at the office of the Panchayat Raj Commissioner in Hyderabad on June 27.

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There are over 92,000 employees working on a contract and outsourcing basis in the PRRD Department, including those associated with the Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty (SERP). Various categories of staff, such as multipurpose workers, computer operators in gram panchayats, and those deployed at MPDO offices, have not been paid since April.

Ironically, PRRD Minister D. Anasuya had earlier announced that these 92,000 employees would receive salaries through the Green Channel from May onwards. This followed the reported approval from the Finance Department for a monthly allocation of Rs. 115 crore towards their salaries.

The decision to route salaries through the Green Channel came after employees raised concerns over frequent delays, with some experiencing gaps of up to three months between payments.

Despite these assurances, employees have not been paid for the last two months. As of June 19, no salaries had been credited. When the matter was brought to the notice of senior officials, they reportedly assured that the grievances would be resolved soon. However, the assurance from the PRRD Minister has not been implemented, said Bhaskar, leader of the Telangana Gram Panchayat Employees Union (CITU).

“Due to the delay in salary payments, many employees are struggling to make ends meet. Hence, it has been decided to stage a protest on June 27,” he said.

Of the total 92,000 employees, 52,473 are multipurpose workers, 12,586 are associated with SERP, 1,301 are computer operators in gram panchayats, and 278 are computer operators in MPDO offices, among others.