YSRCP deceived employees, misused funds, alleges FM

Vijayawada: Finance minister Payyavula Keshav on Thursday launched a scathing attack on the previous YSRCP government, accusing it of betraying state government employees and misusing their hard-earned savings.

Responding to questions raised in the Legislative Council on PRC revision and pending dues, Keshav alleged that the former government even diverted employees’ General Provident Fund (GPF) deposits for other purposes. “Now the same leaders are pretending to be champions of employees’ welfare, which is nothing short of hypocrisy,” he remarked.

He charged that YSRCP had cheated employees by failing to implement election promises, which ultimately led to its downfall.

“Instead of fulfilling assurances, they imposed a reverse PRC, offered only 23 per cent fitment — lower than Interim Relief — and unfairly reduced benefits citing Covid-19. They even misused funds from 94 Central schemes and availed more central aid under the pretext of the pandemic,” he said.

Referring to the current government’s efforts to set the situation right, the minister stated that the TDP-led coalition had already released Rs 11,496 crore towards pending dues in 2024–25 and another Rs 3,549 crore in 2025–26. He added that the government was committed to clearing the arrears in a phased manner while prioritising employees’ welfare.

“Our government had earlier given 43 per cent fitment, which was higher than Telangana. We are now working positively towards constituting a new PRC commission for pay revision. At the right time, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu will take the necessary steps,” he assured.