AP Government Regularises 14 More Contract Employees in the Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department

The Andhra Pradesh government has regularised the services of another 14 employees working on a contract basis in the Health, Medical & Family Welfare (HM&FW) Department. Through a recent government order, these long-serving contract staff have been absorbed against regular sanctioned posts, giving them the security and benefits of regular government service.

The decision carries forward the state's phased drive under the Andhra Pradesh Regularisation of Services of Contract Employees Act, 2023 (Act 30 of 2023), through which eligible contract personnel across government departments are being made permanent in batches. The HM&FW Department, among the largest employers in the state, has been clearing such cases as proposals are verified and approved by the competent authorities.

AP Contract Employees Regularization: Key Details

What the Order Means

Under the order, the 14 contract employees have been regularised against clear and regular sanctioned vacancies in the department after due verification and clearance. For staff who had been serving on a contract basis, this converts their engagement into regular government service governed by the applicable service rules — a significant step up in job security and long-term benefits.

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Conditions for Regularization

As per the framework under Act 30 of 2023, regularisation of contract employees is subject to standard conditions, including:

• Regularisation must be against clear and regular vacancies.

• The appointing authority verifies and authenticates the employee's date of birth, educational and technical qualifications, caste/community certificate, and the rule of reservation against original records.

• Regularised employees are placed as the junior-most in their category, with inter-se seniority fixed by the date of joining on contract (and by date of birth in case of a tie).

• No retrospective benefit is admissible — past service rendered on contract basis is not counted for service benefits.

• Employees are governed by the National Pension System (NPS) / Andhra Pradesh Guaranteed Pension Scheme (APGPS), with prospective effect only.

How AP Regularises Contract Employees: The Process

The regularisation moves through a defined multi-stage workflow:

1. The Head of Department (HoD) initiates proposals for eligible contract employees through the online Regularization of Contract Employees (ROCE) application, uploading the required documents.

2. The proposal is verified at the HoD level and forwarded to the concerned Secretariat department.

3. The Directorate of Treasury and Accounts (DTA) audits the applications.

4. The Finance Department (HR Wing) carries out final validation and concurrence.

5. The government issues the formal G.O. regularising the services.

Background: Act 30 of 2023

The Andhra Pradesh government enacted the AP Regularisation of Services of Contract Employees Act, 2023 (Act 30 of 2023) and issued detailed guidelines through G.O. Ms. No. 114, Finance (HR.I-Plg. & Policy) Department, dated 21.10.2023, followed by operational guidelines via a circular memo dated 13.12.2023. The Act was framed to bring stability to contract personnel who had rendered long years of service against sanctioned posts. Since then, several departments — including Health, Medical & Family Welfare — have been clearing regularisation cases in phases as proposals clear the verification and finance approvals.

Who Benefits and Why It Matters

For the 14 employees, the order means a move from uncertain contract tenure to regular government service, with the associated pay scale, service rules and pension coverage. The HM&FW Department runs one of the state's largest workforces — spanning sub-centres, primary and community health centres, and area, district and teaching hospitals — and has been among the departments actively processing such cases. Each fresh order signals continued progress on long-standing regularisation demands from contract staff.