GO 177 Implementation Postponed

The contentious Government Order 177, which was issued recently by Chief Secretary S V Prasad, has been kept in abeyance by the government.

The state Cabinet which met at the Secretariat on Saturday under the captaincy of Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy decided to refer it to the Sub-Committee of the Ministers for review and a threadbare discussion on it.

In view of the political parties and the staff unions expressing their ire against the implementation of the cited Government Order, the government was forced to take a second look at it before implementation.

The state government thought it necessary to re-examine/review the structure of the GO owing to the pressure mounted by not only political parties but the main aggrieved parties – the staff unions who threatened to relaunch their shelved non-cooperation movement if the GO was not withdrawn immediately and unconditionally.

On April 15, many of the union leaders were also arrested along with their members when they were about to take out a rally from the state Secretariat.

However, Finance Minister Anam Ramnarayan Reddy who briefed the media persons asserted that there was no pressure on the government over GO 177.

He clarified that the state government had received many suggestions in respect of GO 177, and therefore Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy specifically directed that the issue be discussed by the Ministers' Sub-Committee to plug the loop-holes if any.

Ramnarayan Reddy also made it clear that the cited GO was in no way connected to the public.

Fielding a question that the government appeared to have retracted the controversial GO, the Minister denied it and replied that certain lapses were brought to the notice of the government.

"The Kiran Kumar Reddy administration has an open mind on the subject and it instructed that the Sub-Committee discuss the issue with the leaders of the staff unions also and take into account their suggestions," Ramnarayan Reddy said.

There was an allegation from the staff unions that the government took an arbitrary decision as far as the issue was concerned.

This issue apart, the Cabinet also approved 31 additional posts for the Sri Venkateswara Veterinary Department/Hospital – 7 regular posts and 24 through outsourcing - costing the S V University Rs. 1.69 crore.

Similarly, 90 posts for the Pollution Control Board were approved at an annual expenditure of Rs. 25.8 lakh.

Two doctors' posts for the Srikalahasthi ESI dispensary, and 31 posts for the Ramachandrapuram 28-bed ESI unit in Medak district, were approved.

For the AP 932 battalion, at an annual cost of Rs. 11.50 crore, which is the state quota, 1,864 posts have been approved. The Central quota of funds is expected. (INN)