AMARAVATI: Andhra Pradesh Chief Secretary Dr Sameer Sharma said a holistic balancing act was done while budgeting and framing the PRC for the government employees.

Addressing the media on Wednesday, Sameer Sharma explained that the government revenue was reduced due to the coronavirus pandemic effect. The salary budget of the employees was high within AP itself and the government had to work on balancing the salaries of the employees and allocate for the welfare schemes despite the ongoing financial problems. He stated that interim relief was given to employees during difficult times.

Without the COVID pandemic, the state revenue would have been Rs 98,000 crore, said Sameer Sharma. The state revenue has plummeted with the Corona crisis and was now pegged at Rs 62,000 crore. Condemning the fake propaganda that salaries would be reduced, he said the government treats all employees equally and that it was untrue that the IAS officers were getting higher salaries.

The Principal Secretary for Finance SS Rawat said that 27 percent of Interim Relief was not given in the past. Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy has ensured that justice should be meted out for all in an equal fashion. The State finances had deteriorated due to the bifurcation and tax revenue from the service sector had declined sharply. Being an agrarian state, he said there would be no tax revenue from agriculture.