Employees, journalists, lawyers get their "due" from Telangana government

HYDERABAD: Good news was in store for government employees, journalists and lawyers today as Telangana government acknowledged their role in separate statehood movement and rebuilding it going forward.

A special Telangana increment would be extended to all government employees, along with health cards, Governor E S L Narasimhan said in his address to the maiden historic session of both Houses of the State of Telangana, which came into being on June two.

Stating that the government would like to have an employee-friendly governance, he said he is confident that this (increment and healthcard) would motivate employees to be public-friendly to rebuild Telangana.

A welfare fund would be constituted with a corpus of Rs ten crore for journalists whose role in achieving Telangana state was immense, Narasimhan said.

"A welfare fund with a corpus of Rs 100 crore would be set up for welfare of lawyers as they stood like a rock during the movement for the formation of Telangana state." In the address, which largely reflected the ruling TRS' pre-election manifesto, the Governor also said autorickshaws plying in Telangana state would be exempted from tax and accident insurance would be extended to them as well as workers in construction sector. Physically handicapped would get a monthly pension of Rs 1,500.

"As a special care towards the welfare of poor, the meek and the weak, we will introduce a monthly pension of Rs 1000 to the aged," Narasimhan said as he listed the government's priorities and programmes.

"Even destitute women would get a monthly pension of Rs 1,000. Beedi workers facing financial distress would be paid an allowance of Rs 1000 per month."