Jaipur, Jan 16 (PTI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma said that government officials should work with dedication for a developed and prosperous state, an official statement said on Thursday.

Addressing a pre-budget meeting with employee unions, he said that the suggestions received would be evaluated thoroughly and included in the upcoming budget.

He said that employees play an important role in fulfilling the hopes and aspirations of eight crore people of Rajasthan. The chief minister said that his government has taken many important decisions in the interest of the employees.

For the promotion of personnel, a relaxation of two years has been given in the desired experience in the year 2023-24. Also, sports medal winners have been given pay scales and salary hikes as per the rules.

The chief minister said that the state government is taking effective steps to provide employment to the youth and improve recruitment processes.

He said that various provisions have been made for the employees like increasing the limit of gratuity from Rs 20 lakh to Rs 25 lakh, 5 per cent additional pension allowance to the pensioner on completion of 70 years of age, increased family pension for 10 years on the death of the employee after April 1, 2024.

Sharma said that in Sankalp Patra, the BJP had pledged to provide a total of four lakh jobs to the youth, including four lakh in the government sector and six lakh in the private sector.

He said that till now they have given appointments on more than 59,000 posts and 15,000 appointments are in process. Advertisements have been issued for recruitment on about 81,000 posts.

On this occasion, Deputy Chief Minister Diya Kumari, Chief Secretary Sudhansh Pant, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Akhil Arora, Principal Secretary (Chief Minister's Office) Alok Gupta and senior officers of the concerned departments were present. PTI AG HIG

Employee benefits expansion: state announces relaxed promotion criteria, pension enhancements and extended family pension protections ahead of budget. The executive announced employee-focused measures for the upcoming budget: a two year relaxation of required experience for promotion, pay scale recognition and salary adjustments for sports medal winners, recruitment process improvements with ongoing appointments and advertised vacancies, an increase in the gratuity ceiling, a five percent supplemental pension allowance at age seventy, and an enhanced family pension for ten years following an employee's death after a specified cutoff, all presented as budget inputs after consultation with employee unions.