Two weeks after talks with the agitating employees ended on a successful note, the Andhra Pradesh government on Sunday issued a series of orders revising the house rent allowance (HRA) and extending other benefits under the Revised Pay Scales-2022 (RPS).
The Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy government succeeded in the eleventh hour in getting the employees to withdraw their indefinite strike call over the RPS and conceded their demands for enhancement of HRA, restore the City Compensatory Allowance and extend additional quantum of pension to retired employees over 70 years of age.
The government finally budged after lakhs of employees marched to Vijayawada city on February 3 demanding that the RPS orders issued on January 17 be rescinded. The employees also threatened to launch an indefinite strike from February 7.
As per the revised orders issued by Special Chief Secretary (Finance) S S Rawat on Sunday, HRA has been fixed at 24 per cent with a maximum ceiling of ₹25,000 for staff working in AP offices in New Delhi and Hyderabad.
The same will be applicable to employees working in the state Secretariat here and offices of Heads of Departments, relocated from Hyderabad. This will be continued till June 2024.
{{/usCountry}}The same will be applicable to employees working in the state Secretariat here and offices of Heads of Departments, relocated from Hyderabad. This will be continued till June 2024.
{{/usCountry}}For staff working in district headquarters and major cities with population of over two lakh, a 16 per cent HRA with a maximum ceiling of ₹17,000 has been fixed. Those in towns with population between 50,000 and two lakh will get 12 per cent HRA, with a ceiling of ₹13,000.
Others will be paid 10 per cent of basic pay as HRA, the order issued by Rawat said.
The revised HRA would be applicable from January 1, 2022, the Special Chief Secretary said.
Retired employees over 70 years of age will get an additional 7 per cent, those over 75 years 12 per cent, 80 years 20 per cent, 85 years 25 per cent, 90 years 30 per cent, 95 years 35 per cent and those above 100 years will get 50 per cent of basic pension as additional quantum.