Hyderabad: The Telangana government has sanctioned 1 lakh houses under the Indiramma housing scheme’s second phase in the Core Urban Region falling under the limits of the Greater Hyderabad, Malkajgiri and Cyberabad Municipal Corporations.
The Telangana cabinet meeting was held at Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat on Saturday, May 23, where the decision to sanction 2.5 lakh Indiramma houses in the rural areas under the second phase was also taken.
Addressing the media, Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said that each constituency in the rural areas will get 2,000 Indiramma houses in the second phase, out of which 500 houses will be reserved for applicants under the Gruha Laxmi scheme under the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government.
It also covers those who couldn’t build complete houses under the Indiramma scheme implemented during the Congress government when Dr YS Rajasekhara Reddy was the chief minister of the undivided Andhra Pradesh.
Apart from these, he said those who had built incomplete houses and have been residing in them, will also be considered as beneficiaries in the second phase.
He said the Housing Department has identified 14,800 households living in huts across the state, who will also be considered in the second phase.
Indiramma houses in core urban region
Coming to the urban Indiramma houses, Reddy said that in the past 6-7 lakh people had applied for Indiramma scheme under the three municipal corporations in the core urban region, among whom only 18,500 owned land.
Reddy said that under the phase 1 of the Indiramma housing scheme in these three corporations, proceedings will be issued to 18,500 land owners immediately, and that the eligible beneficiaries without land who could be around 3- 3.5 lakh, will also be given Indiramma houses.
For this, he said the state government has formed two categories- Low Income Group (LIG) and Middle Income Group (MIG). Out of the 1 lakh houses being planned to be constructed in the core urban region, he said 30 percent will be reserved for MIG.
He specifically mentioned that unlike during the BRS government where 2bhk apartments were constructed 30 km away from their residence, the Congress government was going to construct Indiramma houses close to the slums where the poor have been residing, without affecting their livelihoods.
He said the government was going to construct the houses (flats) in 400-420 sq ft area, for which not only Rs 5 lakh will be given to the beneficiaries, but will also be given a share in the undivided land (a slum’s total built-up area).
He said that the modalities of the Indiramma housing scheme’s second phase will be disclosed in the next few days.
Telangana to join RDSS scheme of Centre
Another major announcement was about the cabinet’s decision to subscribe to the Centre’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) launched by the Union Ministry of Power, to help state-owned power distribution companies (DISCOMs) and improve operational efficiencies and financial sustainability in the energy sector.
“On January 2, 2017, the then BRS government had entered into a tripartite agreement with the Centre and the Southern Power Distribution Company of Telangana Ltd, giving consent for the Centre’s RDSS scheme. We don’t know happened, but suddenly the then chief minister (KCR) took a U-turn. There was nothing in that policy to fit electricity meters. It was only intended to provide quality power to farmers, industries and households,” Ponguleti said.
Breakfast, mid-day meal scheme extended to junior colleges
He said the cabinet has also approved introducing breakfast with milk and mid-day meal scheme in all government schools and junior colleges from the coming academic year.
The move is expected to benefit around 25 lakh students studying from Class 1 to intermediate second year in all government institutions in the state. The state government had allocated Rs 800 crore for the scheme in the current budget.
Introduction of fish curry in the mid-day meal was also deliberated upon.
PRLIS land acquisition
The cabinet has also decided to complete the land acquisition for the Lakshmidevipally reservoir that was to be constructed under the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS). The cabinet sanctioned Rs 587 crore for land acquisiton for the reservoir.
Mergers
The cabinet also approved merging District Cooperative Central Banks (DCMS) with Telangana State Cooperative Marketing Federation Ltd (TG MARKFED), and the merger of Telangana Rural Infrastructure Corporation Ltd with Hyderabad Agricultural Cooperative Association Ltd (HACA).
1,000 Cr for Godavari Pushkaralu
The cabinet has approved Rs 1,000 crore for the Godavari Pushkaralu scheduled from June 26, 2027 during the cabinet meeting.
“The cabinet has also passed a resolution to bring Telangana under the top 5 life sciences hubs by 2030, by bringing $ 25 Billion USD and creating 5 lakh jobs,” Ponguleti added.
