Hyderabad: The intermediate education department is launching a state-wide initiative to train lecturers from government junior colleges to identify and respond to drug abuse among students.
As part of the programme, 500 lecturers will be trained starting Tuesday at Dr MCRHRD Institute. These lecturers will serve as student counsellors in their respective colleges. The training will equip them with skills to detect early signs of drug use and offer appropriate guidance and support.
Experts from the Telangana police and Anti-Narcotics Bureau, including director Sandeep Shandilya, will conduct the sessions. Training is being carried out under MoUs signed with reputed organisations.
Alongside drug abuse prevention, the programme will cover human trafficking awareness, mental health, the Tele MANAS initiative and the HELP programme. “The training will be held in two batches of 250 lecturers each over four days. These steps aim to create a safe and supportive learning environment,” said an official from the Telangana Board of Intermediate Education (TGBIE).
In partnership with the Prajwala Foundation, lecturers will be trained to handle human trafficking-related issues. “Sessions will include understanding trafficking, prevention of sexual abuse, laws including Pocso Act and the role of counsellors in awareness-building,” said Y. Anthony Reddy, chief operations officer, Prajwala.
Nandyala Kalyani, nodal officer for Prahari Clubs (Anti-Drug Committees), said the anti-drug abuse sessions will focus on identifying early signs, both physical and psychological and educate lecturers about the MITRA app. She also said the formation and functioning of Prahari Clubs in colleges will be discussed, along with case studies through interactive sessions.
TSSPDCL improves supply tracking with AI
Hyderabad: Musharraf Faruqui, chairman and managing director (CMD) of Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Limited (TSSPDCL) said artificial intelligence (AI)-based services are being introduced to enhance monitoring of power demand, supply and interruptions.
Speaking at a review meeting on Monday with chief engineers, superintending engineers and divisional engineers at the Mint Compound headquarters, Faruqui said the Feeder Outage Management System (FOMS) is already operational at substations and feeders. The use of AI will enable real-time recording of interruptions and quicker identification of faults at the field level.
He said that of the 8,681 11kV feeders in the company’s jurisdiction, 6,885 are currently being monitored under the system. “Efforts are underway to bring the remaining feeders under this mechanism,” he explained. He instructed the officials to stay accessible to consumers and conduct regular interaction sessions every Wednesday in Bastis and the colonies. They were also directed to monitor the power supply at the Distribution Transformer (DTR) level daily and focus on feeders and DTRs that face recurring issues.
Pointing out that power demand, especially in Greater Hyderabad, is growing significantly each year, the CMD asked officials to submit reports by August 15 on the measures required to meet the rising demand. He emphasised that services like sanctioning new connections must be processed within timelines under the Standards of Performance (SOP) to avoid consumer complaints.
Hyderabad Metro bags global award
Hyderabad: Metro Rail Hyderabad (L&TMRHL) has received a special recognition award for the Asia-Pacific region at the UITP Awards 2025, held in Hamburg, Germany. The award was given for the metro’s project titled “Optimised Metro Operation Plans Leading to Increased Revenue per Train”, which focused on data-based scheduling, energy-efficient operations and improved train deployment, said a press release from the company on Monday.
These measures led to a tangible increase in revenue per train while maintaining service standards. The awards event was organised by the International Association of Public Transport (UITP), a global network of more than 1,900 member organisations in over 100 countries.
