‘Look after your parents or face 15% pay cut’: Telangana government's warning to state employees

Telangana CM Revanth Reddy said that his government will deduct the salary of state employees if they do not look after their parents.

Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday announced that his government is preparing to bring in a new law that would allow the state to deduct a portion of salaries of government employees who neglect their elderly parents and transfer the amount directly to the parents’ bank accounts.

Speaking at a public event, Reddy said the proposed legislation would make it mandatory for state employees to financially support their parents, particularly in old age. “We are introducing a new bill in the Assembly. If any state government employee is found neglecting the well-being of their parents, the government will deduct 10 to 15 per cent of their salary and deposit it directly into their parents’ account,” he said.

The Chief Minister said the draft bill would be prepared shortly and tabled in the upcoming Budget session of the Assembly. He urged employees to voluntarily set aside a portion of their income for their parents, stressing that government intervention was necessary when moral responsibility was being ignored. “Employees should ensure that some part of their salary reaches their parents, especially when they are ageing,” he added.

Reddy said the move was driven by concern for parents from poor and middle-class families, who, he alleged, were often abandoned once their children secured stable government jobs. Calling it a humanitarian step, the Chief Minister said the government did not want elderly parents to be left vulnerable after having spent their lives supporting their children’s education and careers.

The announcement was made on the same day the Telangana government launched Bala Bharosa and Pranaam Day Care Centres, two welfare initiatives aimed at children and senior citizens. The Pranaam centres, built at a cost of ₹1 crore each across 37 locations, are designed as social and support hubs for senior citizens, offering nutritious food and other essential amenities. The government also rolled out a first-of-its-kind scheme to empower persons with disabilities (PwDs) by providing assistive devices.

Notably, Assam is currently the only Indian state with a similar law in force. The Assam government implemented the PRANAM Act, which allows salary deductions from government employees who fail to take care of their dependent parents. If Telangana passes the proposed bill, it will become the second state in the country to legally enforce such a provision.