Revanth Reddy Announces 4-Month Employment Scheme After Sankranti

Telangana CM announces 4-month employment scheme, to be implemented after Sankranti festival amid El Nino weather conditions

Hyderabad, October 24

Speaking at a meeting with Congress leaders, MPs, MLAs and MLCs at Praja Bhavan on Friday, the Chief Minister appealed to farmers to cultivate only rainfed crops and vegetables, warning that drought conditions could continue for the next eight to 10 months.

Revanth Reddy said that out of 30 lakh pump sets in the state, 15 lakh had already dried up. Water storage in projects had fallen to less than 20 per cent of their total capacity, with some projects reaching dead storage levels. The available water was not more than 200 TMC, he said, adding that water for irrigation was ruled out in the prevailing circumstances, except for drinking water requirements.

Emphasising the need to ensure drinking water supplies, the Chief Minister instructed the Cabinet sub-committee and officials at all levels to continuously monitor the situation. A toll-free number would be provided to address grievances.

The state government would supplement funds received from the Central government to implement the special employment scheme, the Chief Minister said. He directed public representatives to visit villages and said a special application would be installed on their phones to monitor the initiative.

The scheme would also focus on restoring access paths to agricultural fields, canals, ponds and small water bodies. Cultural troupes, or 'Kalajathas', would be organised to motivate farmers, while a help desk would be set up at Gandhi Bhavan under the leadership of MP Chamala Kiran.

Revanth Reddy said the government had a responsibility to disclose the ground reality and ensure that no one suffered during the crisis. "Leaders should educate farmers about the drought through Rythu Vedikas across the state. Special centres would be established in villages to provide fodder and drinking water for cattle, and additional workdays would be created under the employment guarantee scheme."

The Chief Minister said the government had constituted a Cabinet sub-committee headed by Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and appointed K Ramakrishna Rao as a special officer to address issues related to El Niño and counter misinformation.

He said the government had managed the Kharif crop season without an irrigation crisis and would ensure the protection and procurement of Kharif crops. Revanth Reddy also defended the bonus announced for seven varieties of fine paddy, saying farmers were receiving prices ranging from Rs 3,400 to Rs 4,000 as traders from other states offered advances and purchased their produce, the release said.

The Chief Minister said intense heat and water scarcity had led to a sharp increase in electricity consumption. He said electricity demand had reached 20,000 megawatts, compared with 13,000 MW during the corresponding season in undivided Andhra Pradesh, adding that the Electricity Department had successfully made 20,000 MW available.

The government was prepared to purchase electricity at any cost, but it was unavailable in the market, Revanth Reddy said, urging people to use electricity only for essential requirements. He emphasised the need for greater solar power generation and said villagers in Kongareddypalli had benefited by selling solar-generated electricity. He also called for involving women's self-help groups in the initiative.

The Chief Minister criticised the previous BRS government's decision to establish a thermal power plant at Damaracherla. He said projects should be established where raw materials were readily available and pointed out that electricity from power projects in the Singareni region was being sourced at Rs 4 to Rs 5 per unit.

Revanth Reddy said an additional expenditure of Rs 8,000 crore had been incurred for the 4,000 MW Yadadri Power Plant, taking the production cost of electricity to more than Rs 6 per unit.

"Had the plant been constructed in areas such as Ramagundam, Kothagudem or Mancherial, it could have been completed by 2019 at a cost of Rs 28,000 crore, saving Rs 2,000 crore annually in coal transportation costs," he said. He added that locating the plant at Damaracherla had resulted in a 10-year delay.

The Chief Minister said coal was being sourced for the Yadadri Thermal Power Plant from Mahanadi Coalfields following discussions with Union Minister G Kishan Reddy. "Each unit was being brought online, and other types of coal were being used due to the unavailability of G-9 grade coal."

He alleged that Pratima Srinivas Rao was the kingpin behind the project and accused KCR of orchestrating a scheme to generate profits of Rs 1 lakh crore over 50 years.

Chief Minister criticised BRS leaders KCR, KTR and T Harish Rao for alleging that the Congress government was responsible for the drought instead of El Niño. He described the statements as politically motivated and said the impact of El Niño was being felt across 100 countries, as well as in Indian states including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. He also said Britain was facing drought conditions.

Revanth Reddy accused Harish Rao of spreading false information and urged farmers not to be misled by BRS leaders. He called on Congress leaders to counter what he described as false propaganda and create awareness among the public.

The Chief Minister also criticised the previous KCR government over deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic, alleging that its failure and the former Chief Minister's remarks about the virus had caused people to underestimate the seriousness of the situation.

Continuing his criticism of KCR, Revanth Reddy alleged that water had been diverted to the BRS leader's farmhouse and that Rs 1,500 crore had been deposited in the BRS party accounts. He also made allegations regarding the business interests of Harish Rao and Santosh Rao.

The Chief Minister called on Congress leaders to participate in a protest against the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process in Delhi on November 1. He said Rahul Gandhi was fighting on behalf of the poor against the alleged misuse of the process and directed leaders to mobilise between 10,000 and 15,000 Congress workers from Telangana.

Revanth Reddy accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misusing the Representation of the People Act process to consolidate power and alleged that the BJP was attempting to divide people along religious lines.

Discussing the upcoming graduate MLC elections, the Chief Minister urged party leaders to ensure that every eligible voter is registered. He said only 36 per cent of potential voters in the Mahabubnagar-Rangareddy-Hyderabad constituency had registered so far, while 64 per cent remained to be registered.

The Congress had fielded Sama Rammohan Reddy and Ramreddy Sarvotham Reddy as candidates, he said, urging party leaders to work together to ensure their victory. He alleged that the BRS and BJP had colluded to defeat the Congress.

Revanth Reddy said the Congress had won 66 per cent of Sarpanch positions and 85 per cent of municipal seats in recent elections. He called on party leaders to assign responsibilities to leaders from districts where no elections were being held and work towards victory in the graduate MLC elections.

— ANI