Telangana CM Revanth Reddy announces pensions for Thalassemia, Sickle Cell patients; rollout from Aug 15
Hyderabad, July 31
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Thursday announced the sanctioning of pensions to all patients suffering from Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Anaemia in the state from August 15.
The Officials were ordered to identify eligible persons and initiate the process immediately, ensuring relief to the affected families through the pensions.
During a review meeting of the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development departments attended by Minister Seetakka and senior officials, the Chief Minister directed officials to identify all eligible beneficiaries and immediately initiate the process to provide relief to affected families through the pension scheme.
The Chief Minister also decided to extend pensions to all widows, single women, weavers and toddy tappers across the state. He directed that pensions be sanctioned immediately to the wives of differently-abled persons after the demise of their spouses without delay.
Reviewing rural development works, Revanth Reddy instructed officials to ensure that Mandal Parishad Development Officers (MPDOs) supervise development works undertaken by all departments at the mandal level. He also directed that Mandal Parishad meetings be held every 45 days with the participation of MPs, MLAs and MLCs to enable Sarpanches to raise village-level issues before officials.
The Chief Minister said every village in the state should be connected by blacktop (tar) roads and directed the construction of a building for every Gram Panchayat. He said the buildings would be constructed under A, B and C categories based on the population of the Panchayat. He also made Panchayat Secretaries accountable for sanitation and other village services.
Revanth Reddy directed the immediate release of funds for sanitation and other activities in Panchayats where elections could not be conducted for various reasons to ensure that development works are not affected.
He also instructed officials to ensure that the 'Indiramma' sarees to be distributed to ten million women are of high quality and feature attractive designs. The review discussed involving students from the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in designing the sarees, ensuring quality colours and incorporating feedback from women beneficiaries.
In view of El Nino conditions, the Chief Minister directed officials to take necessary precautions regarding drinking water supply and called for a joint meeting of the Rural Water Supply, Hyderabad Metro Water and Irrigation departments to ensure coordination. He also instructed that wages of personnel working under rural drinking water schemes be paid by the fifth day of every month without fail.
Chief Minister's Principal Secretary N Sridhar, Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department Special Chief Secretary Dana Kishore, Finance Principal Secretary Sandeep Kumar Sultania and SERP CEO Divya Devarajan were among those present at the review meeting.
— ANI
Reader Comments
Good initiative by CM Revanth Reddy, but I hope the pension amount is adequate. Many of these patients can't work regularly, and the medical bills are huge. Also, extending pensions to widows and single women is a welcome move. Let's see how the ground-level implementation goes.
The decision to involve NIFT students for the Indiramma sarees is a creative touch. It gives local talent a platform and ensures quality for the 10 million women beneficiaries. Also, the focus on blacktop roads for every village is a solid long-term goal. Good governance moves overall.
Finally, someone remembered the toddy tappers and weavers who are often ignored. The pension for wives of differently-abled persons after their demise is also a humane decision. However, the 45-day Mandal Parishad meetings need to be more frequent for better accountability.
As someone following Indian state politics from abroad, this is a progressive package. The focus on sanitation accountability and drinking water preparedness for El Nino shows practical foresight. I just hope the funds are tracked transparently. Good on Telangana for this citizen-centered approach.
Nice announcements, but where's the detailed plan for funding? Pensions for multiple categories plus village infrastructure plus sarees for 10 million women is a tall order. I hope the state budget isn't overstretched. Let's see the white paper on this.
K We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.