The Hindu : Cabinet nod for Pay Revision Commission

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Jan 07, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Cabinet nod for Pay Revision Commission

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD JAN. 6. The State Cabinet which met today decided to appoint a Pay Revision Commission for Government employees.

The Information and Public Relations Minister, S. Chandramohan Reddy, told presspersons later that the Commission would be appointed shortly. Replying to questions, he said that there would be neither an interim report nor any interim relief, implying that the submission of the report and the benefit accruing to the staff out of that would be straight— retrospectively or prospectively. He said it was too early to indicate the name of the person who would head the panel or whether it would consist of some more members apart from the chairman. The terms and conditions for the Commission would be announced at the time of the actual appointment in the next few days.

Among the other decisions at the four-hour meeting was a nod for declaring as many as 110 new mandals drought-hit, taking the total tally to 428. After a review of the drought, the meeting also resolved to allow five per cent interest rebate on the loans taken by farmers for the cooperative year 2003-04 subject to prompt payment. Another decision was for construction of 90,000 pucca houses more under different housing schemes, adding to the 6 lakhs already taken up, at a cost of Rs. 202.5 crores. In a policy shift but in tune with the latest trend, the meeting gave approval for setting up 21 fire stations outsourcing them to private agencies for the first time with an additional burden of Rs. 3.13 crores yearly. Also, clearance was given for opening five regional forensic laboratories at Warangal, Guntur, Tirupati, Kurnool and Nizamabad manned by officers, 40 of whom were to be posted by way of promotion.

The cleared list of land alienations contained 500 sq. yards to the widow of D. Raghya Naik, former Congress MLA, who was killed by naxalites, and 538 sq. yards to Sania Mirza, tennis player, both at Shaikpet in Hyderabad.

As per another approval, the Aga Khan Development Network Institution Centre for Excellence would get 50 acres free of cost at Ravivyala in Maheswaram mandal of Ranga Reddy district for developing educational facilities with institutions and residential quarters.