Would demoralise government staff: Mohammed Ali Shabbir

Hyderabad: Former Minister and ex-Leader of Opposition in Telangana Legislative Council Mohammed Ali Shabbir on Tuesday has strongly condemned the decision of State Government to cut salaries of government employees and slash payment for pensioners.

He also demanded a white paper on State finances explaining the sudden economic crisis that gripped Telangana. He said that the move would demoralise the government staff which has been working relentlessly for the last 10 days to prevent the spread of coronavirus in the State.

The former minister accused the government of forcing the employees to share the financial burden of war against coronavirus. Shabbir Ali said that the State Government took the decision at a wrong time as it would demoralise the entire staff.

Further, Shabbir Ali said that the government's decision to cut the pensioners' amount by 50 per cent was 'insane'. "All retired employees are aged above 60 years and most of them have no other sources of living.

They spend a large part of the pension amount on medical bills, food and other family needs. How will they manage with just only 50 per cent amount?" he asked.