Trouble Brewing for AP CM Chandrababu Naidu from TTD Employees

Tirupati: Trouble is brewing for the Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu from the employees of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) who are unhappy about the Andhra Pradesh government's decision to cut their annual bonus.

The State government had issued a GO on Wednesday striking down the TTD Board's decision to hike the annual bonus. The decision to increase the bonus for 22,600 employees was taken at the Board's meeting chaired by TTD chairman Chadalavada Krishna Murthy on December 7, the same was forwarded for the State Government's approval on December 14.
The annual bonus called 'Brahmotsava Bahumanam' was in place from 1990 and in this regard permanent employees were paid Rs. 11,000 and contract and outsourced employees were paid Rs. 5,500 for the year 2014. Continuing the bonus policy the TTD Board decided to hike the amount to Rs. 12,200 and Rs. 6,100 for permanent and contract employees, respectively.
However, the GO issued on Wednesday by Principal Secretary JSV Prasad struck down the Board proposal and instead suggested a bonus of Rs. 10,000 and Rs. 5,000 for permanent and contract employees, respectively. Citing financial constraints the State government suggested the lowering of bonus amount. Several TTD unions have already expressed their unhappiness and even called up the TTD Board chairman.
It is interesting to note here that for 2014 the bonus amout was Rs. 17.71 crores and after the recommended hike the amount for 2015 comes to Rs. 19.63 crores - an increase of just Rs. 1.93 crores.