Hyderabad:
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy congratulated the election machinery and officials on behalf of the state government for conducting the village panchayat elections peacefully, democratically, and without any lapses across the state.
The Chief Minister addressed the media along with Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Damodar Raja Narasimha, Dhanasari Anasuya Seethakka, and several public representatives.
He expressed gratitude to the people for blessing the people’s government in the village panchayat elections. Referring to the issue of 42 per cent reservations for Backward Classes in local body elections, he said the matter would be discussed in the Assembly, and a decision regarding MPTC, ZPTC, and municipal elections would be taken after considering the views of all political parties.
Out of 12,728 panchayats in the state, elections were held for 12,702 village panchayats in three phases. The Chief Minister said it was commendable that the elections were conducted in a free and fair manner, allowing people to exercise their democratic right freely.
He stated that after two years of governance, the people’s government went before the public through local body elections and received support in 7,527 village panchayats, accounting for 66 per cent. This mandate, he said, has increased the government’s responsibility further. He added that the government is moving forward by balancing welfare and development.
Listing key initiatives, the Chief Minister said the government has issued new ration cards, supplied fine rice, waived farm loans, implemented Rythu Bharosa, paid bonuses for fine paddy, provided free electricity, free bus travel for women, free power up to 200 units, LPG cylinders at Rs 500, zero-interest loans worth Rs 27,000 crore to women’s self-help groups, Indiramma houses for 4.5 lakh poor families, filled 61,000 government jobs in the first year, resolved the long-pending SC categorisation issue, conducted BC caste census after a century, and taken steps to provide quality education to the poor.
Replying to a question, he said the government is increasing revenue, reducing wasteful expenditure, and implementing welfare schemes with the objective that not even a single rupee is misused.
He also stated that the government is ready to hold a detailed discussion in the Assembly regarding Telangana’s rights over Krishna and Godavari river waters.
