Monday, 17 March 2025: A wrap of news and developments in Telangana- Assembly will discuss key bills including the BC reservation bill.
Published Mar 17, 2025 | 4:49 PM ⚊ Updated Mar 17, 2025 | 5:33 PM
Gandhi statue in front of the Telangana Assembly building. (Supplied)
Synopsis: In Monday’s wrap of Telangana news— the Assembly will discuss key bills on 17 March, including those on BC reservations, SC rationalization, and renaming Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University. The IMD issued an orange alert for high temperatures in four districts and a yellow alert for the rest of the state until 20 March. In Hyderabad, Cyberabad Police apprehended 315 offenders in a drunk driving crackdown.
The Telangana Assembly will address several key bills on Monday, including the Telangana Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes, and Scheduled Tribes (Reservation of Seats in Educational Institutions and of Appointments or Posts in the Services under the State) Bill, 2025, which proposes increasing BC reservations in education and jobs to 42 percent.
Other bills include the Telangana BC Reservation in Local Bodies Bill 2025, which seeks to raise BC reservations in panchayats and municipalities from 23 percent to 42 percent, and the Telangana Scheduled Castes (Rationalisation of Reservations) Bill, 2025, aimed at dividing the 15 percent SC reservation among three sub-groups.
The Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University (Amendment) Bill, 2025, proposes renaming the university after Dr. Suravaram Pratap Reddy, while the Telangana Charitable and Hindu Religious Institutions and Endowments (Amendment) Bill, 2025, seeks to establish a Yadadri temple board, similar to the one in Tirumala.
Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has stated that the bill to rename Potti Sriramulu Telugu University after Suravaram Pratap Reddy was introduced in the Assembly solely to avoid confusion between two universities sharing the same name in Telangana and the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
The Chief Minister, speaking in the Telangana Assembly after the introduction of the bill clarified that the move was not intended to show any disrespect to Sriramulu.
Disapproving of Union Minister of State for Home Bandi Sanjay Kumar attributing motives to the renaming of Potti Sriramulu University, Reddy said he did not know whether politics had become tainted or the thoughts of leaders had become polluted.
He said, “No one is underrating the efforts made by Potti Sriramulu. Everyone should remember and honour his sacrifice.”
He underscored the importance of remembering those who contributed to the progress of Telangana. “This process has been ongoing for the past ten years after the formation of Telangana state. There are now attempts to create misconceptions. It is unfortunate that even those who are central ministers are doing this,” he said.
He recalled the institutions whose names had been changed after the formation of the state. “We have named NTR Health University after Kaloji Narayana Rao. However, this does not mean we have shown disrespect to NTR. Similarly, we have named Acharya NG Ranga Agricultural University after Professor K Jayashankar. We have named the Horticulture University, which was under YS’s name, after Konda Laxman Bapuji. We have named Venkateswara Veterinary University after PV Narasimha Rao. As part of this, we are naming Potti Sriramulu Telugu University after Suravaram Pratap Reddy.”
He took a swipe at those in responsible positions for attributing caste-based motives to the decisions taken by the state government for broader purposes. “It is wrong to divide people on the basis of caste and religion for political gains,” he said.
The Chief Minister further stated, “I am ready to rename the Charlapalli Railway Terminal after Potti Sriramulu. If central ministers G Kishan Reddy and Bandi Sanjay are sincere, let them get clearance from the Centre. Let us name the Balkampet Nature Cure Hospital after Roshaiah. Let us unveil his statue there to honour Roshaiah’s services to the state.”
The Indian Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for Adilabad, Asifabad, Jagtial, and Mancherial districts with temperatures ranging from 41 to 44 degrees Celsius. The rest of the state will experience temperatures between 36 and 40 degrees Celsius and will be on Yellow Alert. This Yellow Alert for the entire state will remain in effect until 20 March.
The Cyberabad Police led a robust campaign against drunk driving in Hyderabad this weekend, leading to the apprehension of 315 offenders.
A total of 233 two-wheelers, 5 three-wheelers, 71 four-wheelers and 6 heavy vehicles were booked in the cases.
31 offenders were caught with blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) ranging between 200 mg/100 ml and 500, and two offenders were caught with blood alcohol concentrations (BAC) above 500/100 ml.
All the offenders will be produced before the court.
Lord Venkateswara Darshan tickets for Telangana public representatives from 24 March
Starting 24 March, Lord Venkateswara Swami Darshan tickets will be allocated based on recommendation letters from Telangana public representatives, as per a release on 17 March.
This new initiative comes after the previous government’s neglect of Telangana’s needs during the tenure of the former TTD board. Following orders from Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and TTD Chairman BR Naidu, a new system has been introduced for recommendation letters from Telangana representatives.
VIP Break Darshan will be allotted on Mondays and Tuesdays based on these letters, while Rs. 300 Special Entry Darshan will be available on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Each public representative can submit one recommendation letter for up to six individuals.
For Andhra Pradesh public representatives, the recommendation letters for Monday darshan will no longer be accepted. Instead, they will be accepted on Saturdays for Sunday darshan. The decision follows extensive discussions within TTD.
