Nalgonda: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Saturday said the objective of the State government was to pool resources and generate wealth for equitable distribution among the people, and not for the benefit of looters or rulers, as was the case during the previous BRS regime.
Along with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, he inaugurated a 33/11 KV sub-station at Ananth Nagar in the Paleru Assembly constituency of Khammam district.
Addressing a public meeting on the occasion, Bhatti said the Congress government would address people’s needs on a large scale in the coming days. He recalled that Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had granted statehood to Telangana with the vision that the State’s resources should benefit its own people, but alleged that the previous rulers failed to fulfil this responsibility. Instead, he said, they mortgaged the State’s future and burdened it with a debt of Rs 8.5 lakh crore, turning a surplus-budget State into one facing a severe financial crunch.
He alleged that the previous government, which ruled for 10 years, shattered the financial system and derailed governance. Despite the damage caused, he said, the Congress government was implementing welfare schemes smoothly and without interruption, with public welfare as its top priority.
Criticising former chief minister and BRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao, the Deputy Chief Minister recalled how the Indiramma housing scheme was earlier mocked with remarks such as questioning where a son-in-law or goats would be accommodated. He alleged that despite ruling for a decade, the BRS government failed to provide even a single double-bedroom house and did not even consider implementing welfare schemes such as 200 units of free electricity.
Stating that every household in the State was benefiting from at least one Congress government welfare scheme, Bhatti listed initiatives including 200 units of free electricity, supply of fine rice, Indiramma houses, free RTC bus travel for women, a Rs 500 bonus per quintal for fine variety paddy, and enhancement of Aarogyasri health coverage from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
“With these initiatives, the government has instilled confidence among the people that this is truly a people’s government. This was reflected in the recent sarpanch elections, where 65 to 70 per cent of Congress-supported candidates were elected,” he said.
He said that in the first phase, 3,500 houses were being constructed in each Assembly constituency, amounting to 4.5 lakh houses across the State at a cost of Rs 22,500 crore. Bills related to Indiramma housing were being sanctioned every week, he added.
The Deputy Chief Minister said Telangana was the only State providing farmers not just minimum support price but also a bonus. He said fine rice at 6 kg per person was being supplied to 96 lakh families, with an expenditure of Rs 13,500 crore.
Revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said the State government was carefully managing financial challenges to ensure that welfare schemes and development works were not affected. He said new power sub-stations were being established to ensure uninterrupted and quality electricity supply for agriculture and domestic needs.
