Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said that, with the new ordinance, the government would fulfil its promise made in the Kamareddy Declaration ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
Published Jul 10, 2025 | 10:53 PM ⚊ Updated Jul 10, 2025 | 10:53 PM
The government has maintained that the amendment is legally robust.
Synopsis: The Telangana government will amend the Panchayat Raj Act, 2018 through an ordinance to increase reservations for Backward Classes in local body elections to 42 percent, amid delays in securing presidential assent for its flagship bill passed earlier this year. The decision, taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, comes as the state faces a court-imposed deadline of 30 September to hold the overdue local body elections.
The Congress-led Telangana government has decided to amend the Telangana Panchayat Raj Act, 2018 through an ordinance, to implement one of its key pre-election promises of raising reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections to 42 percent.
The decision was taken at a cabinet meeting held on Thursday, 10 July, chaired by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, as the state races against a Telangana High Court-mandated deadline of 30 September for conducting the long-pending local body polls.
The move comes in the backdrop of continued delays in receiving presidential assent for the Bill passed by the Telangana Assembly earlier this year – 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.
Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said that, with the new ordinance, the government would fulfil its promise made in the Kamareddy Declaration ahead of the 2023 Assembly elections.
“Immediately after assuming office, the Congress government had initiated steps in right earnest – we conducted a comprehensive caste survey, constituted a dedicated commission for implementation of reservations, passed the Bill in the Assembly and sent it to the Centre for inclusion in the Ninth Schedule of the Constitution. However, the Centre raised multiple queries and has delayed action on the issue,” he told media persons after the cabinet meeting.
Reddy also maintained that the amendment is legally robust.
“We had a discussion with the Advocate General at the cabinet meeting to ensure that the proposed amendment is legally sound and can withstand judicial scrutiny,” he added.
Separately, the cabinet approved the upgradation of two private educational institutions – Amity Education Group and St Mary’s Group of Institutions – into full-fledged universities.
As part of the agreement, Amity will reserve 50 percent of its seats for Telangana students, while St Mary’s will undertake youth upskilling initiatives.
The cabinet also resolved to fill one lakh government jobs by March 2026.
In a bid to support the agricultural sector, the cabinet decided to expedite the completion of pending irrigation projects, especially those that had been stalled or abandoned by the previous administration.
Projects where only 2–3 percent of the work remains will be prioritised. While the minister did not name specific projects, he said that completing them would significantly expand irrigation coverage and benefit farmers across the state.
The cabinet also took note of the poor condition of the 306 gosalas (cattle shelters) across Telangana. Animal Husbandry Minister Vakiti Srihari, who also addressed the press, said most shelters lack adequate infrastructure and space.
“All gosalas will be upgraded to ensure proper care for abandoned cattle. Currently, they are ill-equipped to handle the growing number of stray animals,” he said.
The cabinet conducted a review of decisions taken across its 17 meetings since the Congress assumed power in December 2023. Of the 327 decisions made so far, 321 have already been implemented, the minister said.
“For the first time in the history of India, a state cabinet has undertaken such a review exercise and has also fixed the agenda for the next cabinet meeting at the current one,” Srinivasa Reddy said, adding, “Since [the] next meeting is scheduled for July 25, we have prepared for it already.”
Going forward, the government will hold cabinet meetings once every two weeks to ensure steady policy follow-up and implementation.
(Edited by Dese Gowda)
