AP govt clears Rs 2,653 cr in DA arrears, pending bills

Amaravati: The Andhra Pradesh government has released Rs 2,653 crore as a Sankranti gesture to government employees, pensioners and contractors, clearing long-pending dues related to dearness allowance, leave encashment and infrastructure works.

According to an official release, the Finance department sanctioned Rs 1,100 crore towards pending Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) arrears payable to employees and pensioners. An additional Rs 110 crore has been cleared for surrender leave payments owed to police personnel.

The government also released Rs 1,243 crore towards contractors’ bills for works executed under various schemes, including the Externally Aided Projects (EAP), NABARD-funded works, SASKI, and the Central Road and Infrastructure Fund (CR&F). This includes around Rs 40 crore towards bills under the ‘Neeru-Chettu' programme, which focuses on water conservation and plantation.

Officials said with the payment of DA and DR arrears, around 2.2 lakh Contributory Pension Scheme (CPS) employees and 2.7 lakh pensioners will benefit. Surrender leave payments will be made to nearly 55,000 police personnel, while over 19,000 contractors will receive payments for various works carried out across the state. Overall, the fund release would provide relief to around 5.7 lakh beneficiaries across the state.