Telangana Government Cuts Ministers' Salaries by 50% to Clear Retirement Dues

In a significant decision, the Telangana government on Thursday decided to cut the salaries of ministers by 50 per cent. The move is mainly aimed at mobilising financial resources to clear long-pending dues of retired government employees. The decision comes close on the heels of the Himachal Pradesh government's recent move to cut the salaries of the chief minister and cabinet ministers due to the financial crisis. After a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Telangana's Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy informed the decision. He clarified that all ministers have voluntarily pledged to cut their salaries by 50 per cent. He also said that if needed, all public representatives in the state will also give up half of their salaries to clear the dues of retired employees. The government has set a deadline to resolve the issue. The cabinet has set a target of working out the retirement dues within the next 100 days.