HYDERABAD: It’s raining smart mobile handsets for the government employees in the state. For the last three days, some departments in the Secretariat have been in a flurry purchasing smartphones with prices ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs 60,000.Though the ITE&C department had issued orders to purchase handsets in March, the procurement of mobiles started this week, according to an official.
The mobile handsets are being providing for “effective communication, increased access and accountability,” read the orders. “In view of the increasing usage and accessibility through latest technologies, several requests have come from departments of the Secretariat and heads of departments for enhancement of allowance for handsets and recurring charges of the phones being provided to government officials. More officials are using data apart from the voice call facility for administering official work,” the orders said.
Interestingly, though the state government has been providing smartphones to secretaries, section officers, assistant section officers and other officers, some of them are unwilling to take them and are demanding cash as per eligibility as they already own such phones. The handsets will be provided free of cost to all employees. The cost of the handsets and monthly recurring charges will be borne by the department concerned from the departmental budgetary funds.
Eligibility
Category 1: Special chief secretaries, principal secretaries, secretaries, HoDs and equivalent rank officials get Rs 60,000 per phone and monthly mobile allowance of Rs 2,000
Category 2: Deputy secretaries and above and equivalent rank officials get Rs 25,000 per handset and monthly mobile allowance of Rs 1,375
Category 3: All gazetted officers get Rs 20,000 per handset and monthly mobile allowance of `625