HYDERABAD: Former minister T Harish Rao on Saturday demanded that a medical board be set up at Singareni to consider providing jobs to employees’ children on compassionate grounds in cases of voluntary retirement on medical grounds.
Harish Rao, along with TBGKS leaders and former minister Koppula Eshwar, met Singareni Director Gautam at Singareni Bhavan in Hyderabad and submitted a representation, urging that the issue of “changed names” be resolved and justice delivered to the workers concerned.
Harish Rao said that although the Dependent Employment Scheme was discontinued in 1998, around 15,000 jobs were later provided to employees’ children under compassionate appointments from 2018 during the BRS government. Under the scheme, the present employee who falls under the age group of 48 to 59 and wishes to give a job opportunity to his son, son-in-law, or brother on his voluntary retirement on medical reasons is eligible and can apply for the same.
He alleged that ahead of the elections two years ago, the Congress made several promises to Singareni workers, including setting up two medical boards, allotment of 250 square yards of house sites, Rs 30 lakh interest-free loans and other assurances.
However, he claimed that after coming to power, the Congress failed to fulfil even a single promise.
He also expressed anger over the alleged spending of crores of rupees from Singareni funds on Lionel Messi’s GOAT India tour at a time when the company was struggling to pay salaries to its workers.
The former minister warned that once the BRS returns to power, a full-fledged inquiry would be ordered into the alleged expenditure of `110 crore on the event.