Telangana plans law to deduct salaries of staff who neglect their parents

In a move that has startled many government employees, Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has said his government is preparing a law that would deduct 10–15 per cent of an employee’s monthly salary if they are found neglecting their parents. The deducted amount, he said, would be credited directly into the parents’ bank accounts — effectively bypassing the children altogether.

The Chief Minister made the announcement on Saturday while distributing appointment letters to newly recruited Group-II officers. Deccan Herald reported that he instructed the state’s Chief Secretary, Santhi Kumari, to form a committee to draft the legislation. “If any employee fails to look after their parents, 10 to 15 per cent of their salary will be deducted and transferred to their parents’ accounts,” Reddy said. “Just as employees receive their salary on the first of every month, their parents will also receive the amount on the same day.”

The idea, presented at what was meant to be a celebratory event for new recruits, took many by surprise — not least because it proposes to tie something as personal as family duty directly to the payroll system of the state.

‘A law for justice, not punishment’

Reddy described the measure as a moral corrective. “Daughters should care for their parents even after marriage. Sons may receive dowries, cars and in-laws, but must never abandon their parents. You owe what you are today to them,” he told the new officers. The proposed law, he said, was not about punishment but “justice for the elderly” who are too often left to fend for themselves.

Under the plan, the committee of senior officers will decide how neglect will be defined and verified. The Chief Minister said the newly appointed civil servants would also be involved in drafting the framework — a gesture aimed at instilling a sense of social duty early in their careers.

If passed, Telangana would become the first state in India to legally divert part of an employee’s salary to their parents. While several states have welfare schemes for senior citizens, none so far have linked filial care directly to earnings.

The Chief Minister’s announcement has stirred curiosity — and some unease — among civil servants and policy analysts alike. On one hand, the proposal taps into deeply held cultural values about caring for ageing parents. On the other, it raises difficult questions about how “neglect” would be determined, what proof would be required, and how such deductions would be implemented without abuse or bureaucratic conflict.

Still, the plan’s symbolic power is undeniable. It appeals to a social ideal that has wide resonance in Indian households: the idea that children have a lifelong duty towards their parents. “This is a law of conscience as much as governance,” Reddy said, framing it as part of a larger effort to build what he calls a “people’s Telangana.”

For now, the details remain to be written. But the proposal has already achieved one thing — it has made thousands of government employees sit up, think about their responsibilities, and perhaps, call home.