Not a single rupee from the State: Jagan demands ₹1 crore each for steel blast families

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YSR Congress Party president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy displays a copy of The Hindu report, “Jagan reiterates demand for SCS, VSP, rail zone and Polavaram,” while addressing the media in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. | Photo Credit: V. Raju

Former Chief Minister and YSR Congress Party (YSRCP) president Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy on Wednesday (June 10, 2026) accused the NDA government of failing to protect the Visakhapatnam Steel Plant (VSP) from privatisation and of neglecting the welfare of its employees.

Mr. Jagan visited Visakhapatnam to console the families of the workers injured in the recent blast at the VSP and met those undergoing treatment at MGM Seven Hills Hospital.v

Addressing a press conference later, he said the VSP had around 28,000 employees when the YSRCP government left office in 2024. He alleged that nearly 10,500 employees had been removed over the past two years under various pretexts, bringing the workforce down to around 16,000.

విశాఖలోని కిమ్స్ ఆసుపత్రిలో చికిత్స పొందుతున్న స్టీల్ ప్లాంట్ ప్రమాద బాధితుల్ని పరామర్శించిన వైయస్ జగన్ గారుప్రమాదం జరిగిన తీరుని క్షతగాత్రులను అడిగి తెలుసుకుని.. చికిత్స జరుగుతున్న తీరుపై కూడా ఆరాఅధైర్యపడొద్దని.. వైయస్‌ఆర్‌‌సీపీ అండగా ఉంటుందని వారికి వైయస్ జగన్ గారు భరోసా… pic.twitter.com/kiSBoEFv0D

He alleged that the salaries of VSP employees had been pending for nearly four and a half months, and that for the first time in the country, employees’ salaries had been linked to production levels. He also alleged that the electricity tariff in the steel plant’s residential quarters had risen sharply, from 50 paise a unit under the YSRCP government to ₹8.50 a unit now, which he called an attempt to force employees to vacate the quarters.

The YSRCP president said employees had not received any benefits, including bonuses, house rent allowance (HRA), medical facilities, leave encashment and incentives, for the past two years.

Referring to the ₹11,400-crore financial package announced for the steel plant, Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy alleged th