A.P. govt. releases ₹2,653 crore dues for staff and contractors ahead of Sankranti

The coalition government has announced a Sankranti bonanza for employees and contractors in Andhra Pradesh, with the Finance Department clearing long-pending bills and arrears amounting to ₹2,653 crore.

Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav, in a statement on Monday, said the funds were released on the directions of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu to provide relief to employees, pensioners, police personnel and contractors who had undertaken various development works. He said the government accorded top priority to clearing arrears to ease financial stress across sections.

Of the total amount released, ₹1,100 crore was sanctioned towards a pending instalment of Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) arrears. This will benefit about 2.25 lakh CPS employees and 2.70 lakh pensioners across the State.

In addition, ₹110 crore has been approved for the payment of surrender leave encashment due to police personnel, benefiting nearly 55,000 staff.

The government has released ₹1,243 crore for payments related to works executed under EAP, NABARD, SASCI and CRIF schemes. This includes around ₹40 crore towards pending bills under the Neeru–Chettu programme.

With the clearance of bills for Neeru–Chettu and other works, payments are being made to over 19,000 contractors. Overall, the government has ensured that nearly 5.70 lakh beneficiaries received payments and arrears ahead of Sankranti, offering the much-needed financial relief during the festive season.