Hyderabad, February 26 Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said on Thursday that the state government would introduce legislation in the upcoming Assembly session to deduct 10-15 per cent from the salaries of government employees who fail to care for their elderly parents.
Speaking at the concluding session of a training program for newly recruited Group-1 and Group-2 officers, Reddy also said that an MoU would soon be signed between Harvard University and the state-run MCR HRD Institute to provide executive education to state government officials.
"These young officers have secured these coveted jobs because of the sacrifices of their parents, and they should take proper care of them," he said.
"In the coming Assembly session, we plan to deduct 10-15 per cent of the salary of those who fail to care for their parents and credit it to the parents' accounts," Reddy added.
The chief minister, who recently attended a six-day leadership program at the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, said he has negotiated with Harvard for an MoU under which faculty will visit Hyderabad to provide executive education to the officers.
"In principle, they have agreed to come and teach at MCR HRD. The MoU will be signed soon. If all goes well, Harvard University faculty will be at MCR HRD within six months, before State Formation Day on June 2," he said.
Recalling that the last Group-1 officer recruitment test was conducted in 2011 during undivided Andhra Pradesh, he said it took eight years to issue appointment letters, with the process completing only in 2019.
Observing that the test could not be conducted for 15 years—from 2011 to 2025—even after Telangana’s formation, he said the state government has now ensured that Group-1 exams are conducted as per the aspirations of the youth.
In a veiled dig at the opposition BRS, he said some parties had alleged irregularities in the recruitment process and challenged it in court.
"However, the state government fought the battle even in the Supreme Court and cleared legal hurdles to complete the recruitment process," he said.
Reddy referred to a Hyderabadi saying that officers are 'garam, naram, besharam' during their careers—meaning bureaucrats are 'hot' (energetic) when they join, 'soft' later, and 'shameless' at the end of their careers.
"The young officers should prove this saying wrong," the chief minister said, urging them to work with dedication.
He described the newly recruited officers as the "eyes and ears" of the government, as they implement policies on the ground.
The CM, while speaking about notable personalities of Telangana, said that India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, invited then-CPI MP Raavi Narayana Reddy—who had won the highest majority in the first Lok Sabha elections after Independence—to inaugurate the Parliament building.
Narayana Reddy had secured more votes than Nehru, he added.