The entire administrative machinery across Andhra Pradesh has come to a grinding halt as more than 10 lakh government employees including teachers began their three day pen down and tool down strike today.

The Government employees, workers and teachers were demanding the implementation of the recommendations of the 9th pay revision commission. The commission’s 12 recommendations were accepted by the government in 2009 and the government has implemented only one of them - fitment of scales-till date limiting the rest of the recommendations to the records.

The three day strike of the employees would mean a loss of Rs. 474 Cr to the state exchequer as the government could not extract any work from them during the pen-down and tool down strike.  Teachers went on a chalk-down strike meaning they would not take up any teaching work during this period.

The demands of the employees included issuing of health cards to all its employees. But the government has turned down the proposal saying it would soon constitute Arogya Trust and they would get health insurance cards. The employees are against insurance companies managing the health cards.

Employee union leaders K Swami Goud and V Gopal Reddy warned that they would go on an indefinite strike if the government does not consider their demands sympathetically in next three days.