Almost 100 days after Congress assuming power, components of Mahalakshmi, Cheyutha and Gruha Jyothi Guarantee schemes have been implemented.
Revanth Reddy taking the oath as the CM of Telangana. (X)
Are review meetings the sole activities taking place in government departments of Telangana that don’t have a dedicated minister?
Even though it is almost 100 days since the Congress formed its government in Telangana on 7 December, 2023, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy continues to oversee more than 15 departments out of the 40 listed on the Telangana government website.
The departments without a dedicated minister include Animal Husbandry, Dairy Development and Fisheries, General Administration (Political), Higher Education, Home, Labour, Employment Training and Factories, Law, Minorities Welfare, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Public Enterprises, Revenue (Registration and Stamps), Revenue (Commercial Taxes), School Education (SE Wing), Social Welfare, Sports and Youth Welfare and Tribal Welfare.
It may be noted that the current Telangana government Cabinet comprises 12 ministers, including Revanth Reddy himself.
The Congress government, soon after assuming power in Telangana, had said that its six poll guarantees would be implemented within 100 days. However, as of Thursday, 7 March, the government has launched only three out of the six — that too, partially.
The government initiated the supply of subsidised LPG cylinders for ₹500 on 27 February and free bus travel for women was implemented two days after assuming power, under the Mahalakshmi scheme. Under the Cheyutha scheme, Arogyashree health cover has been enhanced from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh.
The Gruha Jyothi scheme, free power up to 200 units for families possessing white ration cards, was also launched on 27 February.
However, the promised cash transfer to women under the Mahalakshmi scheme is still pending.
Three other guarantees, Yuva Vikasam, Indiramma Indlu and Rythu Bharosa are yet to be launched even partially. Despite Revanth Reddy signing the files for all six guarantees on his inaugural day in office, the implementation of these assurances has been delayed.
Another big promise that seems forgotten is the waiver of loans up to ₹2 lakh for farmers.
D Madhu, the son of a farmer and a resident of Sangareddy, said, “My father is uneducated and he keeps asking me, ‘Did the message come?’ What he means is, did any amount get transferred into bank accounts for farmers? Being unfamiliar with technology, he keeps asking about when the amount would be credited, and if there was any news about it.”
He added: “We cultivate wheat and vegetables, and as far as I know, my father has taken loans of nearly ₹3 lakh. He is waiting for the government’s assistance as promises were made. The schemes that benefit poor families must be given priority.”
When South First approached the beneficiaries who submitted application forms through the Praja Palana initiative, they said many were awaiting the introduction of the Bhumata portal in place of the Dharani portal.
Auto-rickshaw drivers affected by the free bus rides to women under the Mahalakshmi scheme said they needed financial assistance to the tune of ₹12,000 per year to cover their losses.
The household pension beneficiaries are waiting for a monthly unemployment allowance of ₹4000. While the Telangana State Public Service Commission (TSPSC) has announced exam dates for Group 1, a new law to revamp TSPSC on the lines of UPSC is yet to be addressed.
The previous BRS government had entrusted all key portfolios to its Cabinet of ministers. Now, key portfolios are lying with Chief Minister Revanth Reddy.
Revanth Reddy who is also the state PCC chief is handling over 15 portfolios. BRS has been mocking Congress over portfolio distribution.
“Decisions on the ministers’ profile must come from Delhi because the AICC in charge monitors every scheme launch and public meeting. Despite Chief Minister Revanth Reddy meeting the Congress party high command a dozen times since forming the government, the timeline for approval remains uncertain”, said BRS leader M Krishank.
“Rahul Gandhi himself stated that the six guarantees offered by the Congress would be enacted into law but there has been no response. Farmers’ loans have not been waived, the Rythu Bharosa scheme has not been implemented yet, and the biggest concern is the lack of data in the public domain on how many have applied for each guarantee through Praja Palana and the basis on which the beneficiaries are selected,” he said.
Government schools officials that South First spoke to in many parts of Telangana said they are awaiting the upgradation of classrooms.
Many educational activists had alleged in the past that the previous government’s Mana Ooru-Mana Badi programme for the development of school classrooms focused merely on decorating buildings with paintings and drawings on the walls and making small repairs.
Activists said that if a dedicated minister was appointed, they could collect more information on the number of schools that need additional classrooms, toilets, and could demand data of schools witnessing dropouts of female students.
“We are waiting for the chief minister to assign the charge of the education department to a minister so that it could improve our accessibility to the department. While entering the Secretariat itself is a herculean task, meeting the chief minister for issues related to the department is almost impossible,” social worker Himabindu told South First, citing the challenges faced by students.
“When the previous government was in charge, we had managed to meet the education minister through easy appointments even though there were gatekeeping issues. The new minister should be approachable and capable of implementing bridging mechanisms and district education officers should be made proactive,” she said.
“Obtaining permission for new government schools is necessary, and there should be an investigation into the impact of Mana Ooru-Mana Badi on schools”, Himabindu added.
The appointment of a dedicated minister is crucial for the Ministry for Scheduled Tribes (STs), Scheduled Castes (SCs), and Minorities.
The frequent incidents of fatalities and attacks on students belonging to ST, SC and minority communities which prompted the Telangana police to intervene and impose orders under Section 144 of the CrPC, underscores the significance of assigning responsibilities to a minister.
“There have been suicides of and attacks on the SCs, STs (Dalits), and minority community students, but no action has been initiated to submit reports on them. However, if there was a minister, he or she could inspect the hostels and institutions of the government and respond faster,” D Naresh, the state executive committee member of the BSP, told South First.
“Many declarations have been announced for SCs and STs, but nothing has been implemented. The government has not addressed anything regarding the timeline of the implementation of these declarations,” he added.
Naresh also noted how not even women ministers of the current Cabinet responded to a dual suicide in an SC Social Welfare residential hostel and stressed the need for a minister for the department.
However, one government official South First spoke to said that the immediate appointment of department-specific ministers was not needed as there are principal secretaries who handle the departments efficiently by holding review meetings.
“I have been in at least three review meetings now, and I feel there are principal secretaries for each department who can respond to any queries, and appointing a dedicated minister for them is not an immediate priority. The government employees are processing the files faster than before fearing repercussions from the chief minister for incomplete works,” the official said.
“For instance, there were two or three review meetings regarding the ongoing SSC and intermediate examinations to discuss the timetable for students. The chief minister had questioned us regarding on-ground realities, such as the turnout of students and teachers to schools,” he added.
“I’ll cite my experience with the previous government. There was a file regarding online evaluation for intermediate exams to streamline the process and it never reached the education minister from the Officer on Special Duty (OSD). We could not question it further since the minister trusted the OSD,” he further claimed.
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