Clear bills of small contractors : CM

Amaravati : Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu directed officials of Finance department to  clear pending bills inherited from the previous government. During the meeting, the Chief Minister enquired about the status of pending payments to serving and retired government employees and issued directives  for clearing these dues.
As per the directions of the Chief Minister, steps have been initiated to release pending bills amounting to Rs 7,358 crore, providing significant relief to employees.

Officials informed that Rs 1,848 crore towards Provident Fund dues has  been credited directly into employees’ accounts and Rs 76 crore has been disbursed under Group Life Insurance covering 4,793 beneficiaries.The other 
payments in progress include Rs 3,411 crore towards gratuity dues,  Rs 1,800 crore towards leave encashment for retired employees and  Rs 223 crore towards additional surrendered leave dues for police personnel.
These payments are expected to be completed within the next two days.
The Chief Minister directed that all pending dues, including employee-related and other bills, should be cleared systematically based on fund availability.

During the review, past issues related to employee funds under the previous regime were also discussed. It was noted that diversion of employee funds had caused hardships, and even those who raised concerns reportedly faced legal harassment.
The Chief Minister also reviewed pending payments to contractors and material suppliers. Officials stated that Rs 614 crore has already been paid to small contractors for works executed and materials supplied.
The Chief Minister emphasized that priority must be given to small contractors in clearing pending bills going forward.