38,737 regular workers of Singareni to get nearly ₹1.54 lakh bonus each: Deputy CM

HYDERABAD

The State government has announced a festive bonanza to Singareni coal mine workers on the occasion of Dasara with an average bonus, share in company’s profits, of ₹1,53,912. Deputy Chief Minister and Minister for Finance M. Bhatti Vikramarka announced that each permanent employee of Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) would receive an average profit-sharing amount of ₹1,53,912.

Speaking to newspersons along with Minister for Industries and IT D. Sridhar Babu Mr. Vikramarka said on Tuesday (Ocober 13) that 38,737 permanent employees would benefit from the decision. In addition, 29,717 contract workers would receive a bonus of ₹5,500 each. He stated that the government had decided to distribute 34% of Singareni’s profits among workers, continuing the practice.

The Singareni Collieries Company Ltd made a net profit of ₹1,754 crore this year, of which ₹596 crore would be distributed among workers as their share in profit. Stating that the government was equally committed to the welfare of permanent employees and contract workers, he said the government was also committed to fulfil workers’ dream of owning a house. He told officials to identify areas belonging to Singareni where mining had not yet been undertaken and prepare suitable layouts for housing.

Recalling that out of 5,774 acres returned by Singareni to the Revenue Department, 4,500 acres had been distributed as house-site pattas to the poor during the previous Congress government. He said the Singareni management was asked to expedite the process of issuing house-site pattas to eligible beneficiaries for the remaining 1,250 acres of land.

On the pending cases of dependent employment, the Deputy Chief Minister said they would be resolved in 15 days. The officials were told to complete the pending formalities relating to about 250–300 dependent employment orders within the next 15 days and issue appointment orders to eligible candidates. He said that between 136 and 170 pending cases involving changes in workers’ names would be examined from a humanitarian perspective.

To reduce inconvenience to workers seeking medical invalidation, Mr. Vikramarka said the Singareni management was told to conduct medical board meetings on designated days every month at all area hospitals within Singareni areas. Workers would no longer need to travel to Kothagudem for the process. Medical examinations would be conducted locally, and the process would be expedited to benefit as many eligible workers as possible.

The Deputy Chief Minister also announced plans to upgrade Singareni’s area hospitals to corporate-hospital standards. The objective was to ensure that ordinary workers could access high-quality medical treatment within Singareni hospitals instead of having to depend on private hospitals.

He stated that Singareni had missed opportunities to participate in auctions involving approximately 141 coal blocks, restricting its business expansion and added that the closure of some existing coal blocks had also affected production and revenue. With around 14 blocks closed now, he stressed the need to secure new blocks to replace them. He referred to Tadicherla-II, Koyagudem Block-III, the Manuguru PK Open Cast-II dip-side block and Naini were among the blocks being pursued as part of efforts to expand the company’s operations.