Ongole: Government staff assn flays Finance dept officials

Ongole: The Prakasam district unit of Andhra Pradesh Government Employees Association demanded that the officials in the finance department follow Principal Secretary Praveen Prakash and draw salaries only after disbursing the salaries of the regular and contract employees. The district employees leaders demanded them to understand the pain of the employees who worked in the frontline during the coronavirus pandemic but didn't receive salaries for months, in the name of nonreceipt of funds from the central government programs.

In a press meet held in Ongole on Sunday, the Government Employees Association president in Prakasam district, Vinukonda Rajarao said that there are hundreds of employees working in the government on the schemes and programmes sponsored by the Union government.

He said that these employees are facing a hard time receiving salaries for a few months every year as the officials in the State government deny their requests to approve salary bills in the name of non-receipt of funds from the Central government and hold salaries of some employees through the 2210, 2211, and 2235 heads of accounts.

He explained that the dues pending to the employees are cleared in April first week, after the employees association brought the issue to the notice of the chief minister, who ordered the officials to release salaries of all employees, including the regular and contract, on the 1st of every month.

He alleged that the finance department officials neglected the orders of the Chief Minister again and withheld the release of the salaries of the employees working on the Union government-sponsored schemes, including them from the medical and health, women and child welfare departments, who are offering services in the frontline in the COVID-19 pandemic situation.

Rajarao said that after learning the plight of the employees who are not receiving salaries for months, the chief secretary Praveen Prakash informed the concerned officials in writing to not pay his salary until all employees in his concern received their salary. He alleged that some officers in the finance department are trying to bring a bad name to the government by withholding the salaries of the employees.

He demanded the officials in the concerned HoD offices to not take salaries until they receive information that all employees in their departments received a salary every month. He also demanded the officials to initiate action on the concerned persons who linked the salaries of the employees working on the schemes sponsored by the Union government with its grants to the state, and bringing bad name to the state government.

The district government employees association leaders DV Ramaiah, K Panduranga Reddy, S Vanaja, Mannam Chencharao, Angalakurti Narsimha Rao and others also participated in the meeting.