State employees and pensioners awaiting arrears since 2024 will soon receive relief, as the Telangana Cabinet has approved two pending Dearness Allowance (DA) instalments, as reported by The Hindu. The decision was announced by Minister for Revenue, Housing and Information and Public Relations Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy following discussions with employee union representatives over pending DA payments and other service-related demands.
Srinivasa Reddy said, quoted by The Hindu, “The release of DAs will impose an additional annual financial burden of about Rs 2,500 crore on the State government. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has decided to release the DA despite the financial burden, in line with the assurance given during recent discussions with employee unions.”
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According to the government, one of the approved instalments will be released with the October salary, while the second is expected to be paid around Ugadi. The schedule follows further discussions with employee unions. The release of the two instalments is expected to add annually to the state exchequer.
The government said the decision honours commitments made during consultations with employee representatives despite the financial constraints facing the state. However, a specific timeline for clearing the remaining DA arrears has not yet been announced. The outstanding amount is expected to be settled in instalments.
The Cabinet also discussed the state's weather conditions, including El Niño-related concerns and a reported 17% rainfall deficit. It decided to constitute a sub-committee to assess the situation and recommend measures. The state government is also expected to seek financial assistance from the Centre for losses linked to the weather conditions and consider declaring affected areas drought-hit.
Several other decisions were taken during the Cabinet meeting. He said, “The Cabinet decided to procure adequate power to meet demand and prevent power cuts. It also approved proposals to promote new renewable energy generation and power storage capacity, with projects totalling about 7,800 MW.”
The Cabinet also directed officials to expedite the government-funded integrated fruit market at Koheda. It further decided to review or suspend 10 long-pending incomplete engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) irrigation projects.
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A special Digital Media Advertising Policy was also approved, with the framework aligned with Central government standards. The move is intended to establish guidelines for government advertising through digital media. The Cabinet also approved the creation of posts at Telangana Bhavan in New Delhi.
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