The first cabinet meeting chaired by Andhra Pradesh chief minister and YSR Congress party president Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy turned out to be a super hit.
Jagan, not only gave his piece of mind to his cabinet colleagues and officials, but also announced some sensational decisions that would definitely generate a lot of support from all sections of people.
Some of the decisions taken by the cabinet include: merger of Andhra Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (APSRTC) with the state government as promised during his padayatra, abolition of contributory pension scheme which has been the long-pending demand of the government employees, payment of 27 per cent interim relief to the state government employees pending revision of their pay scales, increase of social security pensions from Rs 2,000 to Rs 2250, increase of salaries to Asha health workers from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000 per month etc.
But what is more important is the decision to have a new sand policy that would be more transparent and corruption-free.
In the previous TDP government, the sand policy came in for a lot of criticism, as the TDP MLAs allegedly indulged in large scale corruption in it.
Jagan also decided to do away with all outsourcing agencies appointed by the previous TDP government, which were given various contracts.
New agencies would be appointed after scrutinising their credentials instead of adopting policies of nepotism.
The YSRC chief strongly warned the ministers against indulging in any sort of corruption.
“If there were any allegations of corruption against any minister, I will not hesitate to sack him or her from the cabinet,” he warned.