No Salaries For AP govt Staff Yet

The economic crisis in Andhra Pradesh is deepening by the day. Five days have passed in the month of February but the government employees have not received their salaries in a full-fledged manner. There is talk that salaries would be disbursed to all the employees only after the February 8.

Pensioners, many of whom depend on the pension given by the government, are also worried as they have to meet several monthly expenses. Working employees complained that they are facing trouble in paying the EMIs due to the delay in the payment of salaries.

The state government needs Rs 5,500 crore for paying salaries to all the government staff. Salaries have been credited to only 50% of the employees so far. Nearly 70% of the pensioners also received pensions by February 2. Social security pensions have also been disbursed without any delay.

The government earned Rs 1,557 crore through auction of security bonds to the RBI. The government has no chance to borrow money from outside. Further, the government had already taken OD from RBI. Andhra Pradesh owes Rs 4,000 crore to the RBI and once the Centre releases Rs 4,500 crore towards implementation of various central schemes in the state by February 8, the RBI would take it.

The state government is planning to ask the Centre for Rs 3,000-4,000 crore through ways and means OD. Only then would the government be able to pay the salaries and pensions to all those in the state.