Nalgonda MP and former TPCC president Capt N. Uttam Kumar Reddy has written an open letter to Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrashekhar Rao, asking that Junior Panchayat Secretaries be regularized and their other concerns addressed. The Junior Panchayat Secretaries have been on strike for the past 13 days and have not been able to work on village development.
The Chief Minister extended the probationary period of these secretaries by one more year, but they have completed this extension, and the government has yet to make a decision on regularization. The MP emphasized that this failure to fulfill promises made in the Assembly would reflect poorly on the State’s governance.
The Junior Panchayat Secretaries have valid demands, such as immediate regularization of their positions, but instead of addressing their concerns, the government has threatened to remove them from their duties if they do not end the strike and return to work. These secretaries work long hours and have many responsibilities, which have led to exhaustion and severe consequences, such as suicide and health-related issues.
Uttam Kumar Reddy demands that the State Government recognize the service rendered by Junior Panchayat Secretaries from April 2019 to the present, provide compassionate appointments for family members of deceased secretaries, regularize OPS positions, and grant six months of maternity leave and 90 days of child care leave for female Junior Panchayat Secretaries. He warns that the Congress party will support their struggle and prepare for direct action on their behalf if the government fails to address their concerns.
