Andhra CM Jagan Reddy Reiterates Biannual Dearness Relief Hike Commitment For Pensioners

Retired employees will receive 50 per cent of their last month's basic salary as a pension, and the amount will be increased annually with two DRs, as per the new scheme.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on Tuesday reaffirmed his commitment to hike pensions with biannual dearness reliefs (DRs) to all eligible retired employees under the new Guaranteed Pension Scheme (GPS).

The Chief MInister reiterated this commitment to the leaders of various government employees' unions who visited his camp office on Tuesday.

Reddy stated that retired employees would receive 50 per cent of their last month's basic salary as a pension, and the amount would be increased annually with two Dearness Reliefs (DRs).

The GPS, which was approved by the Andhra Pradesh Cabinet on June 7, aims to implement biannual DRs similar to that done by the Central Government.

The CM emphasised that the commitment by the YSRCP government had not been fulfilled by any previous government since 2003.

Reddy said barring the elements of the Pay Revision Commission (PRC), GPS had some features of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS), which would be beneficial to the employees as well as the government.

The CM said the formulation of the scheme was arrived at after a tedious process of two years.

To ensure that retired employees can maintain their living standards, DRs will be synchronised with the rate of inflation, even long after their superannuation, the CM said. Reddy also instructed officials to include daily wage employees under the purview of the Andhra Pradesh Corporation for Outsourced Services (APCOS).

Representatives of the employees' unions expressed their gratitude to the chief minister for the recent Cabinet decisions that have benefited them.