Telangana To Slash Ministers’ Salaries By 50% To Clear Pension Dues

Last Updated:April 24, 2026, 07:47 IST

Telangana cuts minister and public representative's salaries by 50% to clear long pending retirement dues

The Telangana government on Thursday decided to implement a 50% reduction in ministerial salaries to mobilise resources to clear long-pending dues to retired government employees. The move follows a similar step by the Himachal Pradesh government, which recently cut salaries of its chief minister and cabinet amid a financial crunch.

Speaking after a cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, Telangana Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said, “All the ministers have voluntarily resolved to cut down their salaries by 50%. Similarly, all the public representatives would forego 50% of their salaries, if necessary, towards clearing the retirement benefits due to be paid to the retired employees," Hindustan Times reported.

Telangana Sets 100-Day Target To Initiate Arrangements

The cabinet also set a 100-day target to initiate arrangements for clearing retirement dues and announced the formation of a resource mobilisation sub-committee to engage with employee unions, teachers, and pensioners. “The cabinet set a target to initiate arrangements to clear the dues of retired staff within 100 days," the Minister said.

Highlighting the scale of the issue, the cabinet noted that liabilities include around Rs 6,200 crore for serving employees and Rs 8,000 crore for retirees. It expressed concern over delays in disbursing retirement benefits, stating that pensioners and their families are facing hardships.

“With the increase in retirement age and delays in disbursing retirement benefits, pensioners and their families are facing significant hardship. The cabinet felt that retired employees should not be forced to run from office to office for their dues," Ponguleti said.

The cabinet also voiced serious concern over the substantial dues pending for both serving and retired government employees, which have accumulated over the past decade, noting that no such arrears existed at the time of Telangana’s formation. The government said it will explore additional resource mobilisation measures alongside the salary cuts to address the financial burden and ensure timely payments.

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