Just three days after Telangana State became a reality, intense regional differences among the Government employees have come to the fore as the employees of Telangana region went on protest in the State Secretariat against ‘Order to Serve’, which allocated some of the Telangana employees to Andhra and vice-versa.
Employees gathered near the Samata block, housing Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao’s office and shouted slogans demanding justice. Protesting employees declared that they have refused to accept the ‘Order to Serve’, issued on Sunday last. Finance Minister Etala Rajinder spoke to the leaders of the protesters and assured them to discuss the issue with the Chief Minister.
later, the Chief Minister also assured the employees that no injustice would be done to them. Talking to the leaders of Telangana employees KCR said, “Employees will have to work in their respective States,” he said. The process of dividing the 12 lakh State employees between the two states was still incomplete. Pending the final decision, the administration had issued the ‘Order to Serve’ causing consternation among the employees.
Meanwhile in his first major official engagement since taking over, Chief Minister Rao today held a closed door meeting with the State level bankers committee to discuss the issue of farm loans and waiving of debts of the farmers.
TRS had made election promise of writing off the farmers’ debt upto a maximum limit of Rs 1,00,000. Sources said that Wednesday’s meeting remained inconclusive and Bankers were likely to meet the Chief Minister again on Monday. KCR wanted the Bankers to come back with the details of the farmers’ loan.
later briefing the media finance minister E Rajinder said that the only farm loans will be covered under the scheme. “Gold loans will not be waived off”, he said.
Rajinder said that the bankers will come back on Monday with the details of the farm loans provided during 2013-14. “Final decision will be taken on the basis of this information,” he said. The Finance Minister asked the banks to provide fresh loans to the farmers for the Kharif season on time.
Tax concession
Meanwhile, TRS leader in Parliament Vinod Kumar denied the reports that the tax concessions announced as part of special package was only confined to residuary state of Andhra Pradesh.
“The tax benefit will be for both the States,” he told the media in Hyderabad. “This is clearly mentioned in the State Reorganisation Bill,” he said. Vinod Kumar urged the industrialists not to worry about the false reports.