Telangana pays highest salaries to govt employees in India: Harish Rao

Siddipet: Finance Minister T Harish Rao said the Telangana government was paying the highest salaries to government employees compared to other States in India. Addressing teachers during the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of the State Teachers union (STU) at the Vipanchi Auditorium in Siddipet on Thursday, the Minister said the State government had paid a 73 […]

Siddipet: Finance Minister T Harish Rao said the Telangana government was paying the highest salaries to government employees compared to other States in India.

Addressing teachers during the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of the State Teachers union (STU) at the Vipanchi Auditorium in Siddipet on Thursday, the Minister said the State government had paid a 73 per cent fitment to government employees in just five years. Elaborating on various welfare measures launched by the State government over the last eight years, Rao said MLAs of various States were demanding their governments to replicate the welfare schemes launched by Telangana.

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Stating that Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao was very particular about improving educational institutions here, he said the TRS government was spending 12 percent of the budget on education every year. While there used to be just five Government Medical Colleges in Telangana until 2014, Rao said the government had built 17 medical colleges in seven years. The MBBS seats in government medical colleges were increased from 840 to 2,840 seats.

Stating that the State government was spending Rs 7,300 crore on improving infrastructure facilities in government schools across Telangana by launching the Mana Ooru Mana Badi programme, Harish Rao said that since Telangana was implementing efficient schemes, the Centre was copying some of them. However, it was a cause of concern that the same BJP-led government was talking against the welfare schemes Telangana had introduced.

Despite the Centre restricting release of funds to Telangana, he said the Chief Minister was implementing all the schemes overcoming such challenges. The Union govnerment had held back Rs 30,000 crore in funds, he added.