HYDERABAD: The state government on Thursday signed Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) with 16 banks to provide accident insurance cover to government employees, with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka present at the event held at Ravindra Bharathi.
Addressing the gathering after the signing ceremony, Revanth appealed to government employees to work an extra hour every day to improve revenue collection.
“Government employees should work one hour extra every day. A few people evade taxes. It is your responsibility to identify such people and increase government revenue. I will use the additional income to meet your requirements. Revenue from GST, Stamps and Registration, and other departments has increased in recent days. I have been working 16 to 18 hours a day without taking a single holiday over the past 30 months for the development of the state,” he said.
Turning to politics, the chief minister launched an attack on the BRS, accusing it of obstructing the state’s development. “Who is responsible for the Hyderabad Metro slipping from second place to ninth? The Metro benefits the people, not me or KCR (former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao). KCR does not travel by Metro. He and his family travel in chartered aircraft. It is ordinary people who use the Metro,” he said.
Questioning the opposition’s criticism of the Musi Riverfront Development Project, Revanth asked why similar projects on the Yamuna, Ganga and Sabarmati rivers were acceptable while the Musi project was being opposed. He also defended the proposed Regional Ring Road project.
Reiterating that he is a “Gumpu Mestri” (head mason), Revanth said government employees were part of his team and described them as the bridge between the government and the people.
He also criticised the previous BRS government, alleging that salaries were not paid on the first day of every month during its tenure. “On the day I took oath as chief minister, I instructed the Finance Secretary to ensure that salaries are credited on the first day of every month,” he said.
The chief minister said retirement benefits had added a monthly burden of around Rs 1,000 crore since 2024. He said the government had promised to release Rs 6,000 crore within 100 days towards retirement benefits, of which Rs 2,000 crore had already been released.