Telangana Cabinet Key Decisions on GO 111 and Yasangi Paddy Procurement

Hyderabad: The State Cabinet has approved the withdrawal of GO 111, the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in universities, the approval of the establishment of five private universities in the state, and the appointment of medical college professors as Directors and Additional Directions in Medical Education.

The Telangana administration has also opted to purchase paddy grown in the state in Yasangi, despite the Centre's refusal to approve the state government's request for paddy procurement. This decision was reached at a five-hour meeting of the State Cabinet in Hyderabad.

Following the cabinet meeting, Chief Minister Chandrashekhar Rao addressed the media and urged farmers not to resort to paddy distress sales, vowing to buy every single grain of paddy from farmers. In a day or two, he claimed, the entire government machinery would be ready to commence paddy procurement.

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GOMS 111:

The Cabinet has decided to revoke GO 111 in light of long-pending landowner petitions on humanitarian grounds. More development will be possible in the 83 villages in seven mandals in the Vikarabad and Ranga Reddy districts. The GO 111 was issued in 1996, when the city's drinking water needs were fulfilled by the twin reservoirs of Osman Sagar and Himayath Sagar, to avoid contamination caused by significant construction and industrialisation.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announced the formation of a committee led by Chief Secretary Somesh Kumar to examine the termination of GOMS 111. Officials from MAUD, the Forest Service, and other associated departments would be members of the committee, which would follow the pollution control board's standards.

With GO 111 about to be removed, directives have been issued to guarantee that the rivers Musi and ESA, as well as the two reservoirs, Osman Sagar and Himayath Sagar, are free of pollution and that Green Zones be declared. He stated during a press conference here on Tuesday that a master plan would be prepared as well. Work on synchronising the twin reservoirs with the Kaleshwaram project has already begun. In addition to these projects, the prevention of pollution in the twin reservoirs has been prioritised, and the building of an alternative network to avoid the flow of murky water into the reservoirs is being considered.

Chennuru Lift Irrigation Scheme:

A proposal to implement the Chennuru Lift Irrigation Scheme, which will supply irrigation and drinking water to 103 villages in the Chennuru Assembly seat, was approved by the government. The State government has also approved a programme to use 10 TMC of River Godavari water from the Kaleshwaram project, which would cost Rs 1,658 crore.

Apart from providing drinking water, the plan will also help to irrigate 90,000 acres. Water will be delivered to 25,423 acres in Jaipur and Mandamarri mandals from the Parvati Barrage, and roughly 43,208 acres in Chennur, Bhimaram, and Kotapally mandals from the Saraswati Barrage. Under the Laxmi Barrage, water would be delivered to 16,370 acres in Kotapally Mandal.

Teaching And Non-Teaching Staff Recruitment In Universities:

According to the Chief Minister, roughly 3,500 teaching and non-teaching employees would be hired across the state's universities. He added that a Common Recruitment Board would be established under the auspices of the education department and that the recruitment process would begin, as well as the establishment of a Women's University.

Palle And Pattana Pragathi Drive:

The State government will conduct a Palle and Pattana Pragathi push from May 20 to June 5, since these programmes must be completed before the monsoon season begins.

Six Private Universities:

The proposal for the establishment of six private universities, including one agricultural university, has been approved by the cabinet, according to the Chief Minister. He added that the Cabinet had approved these decisions in principle, and the relevant ministers would issue the required instructions. Cauvery Agricultural University, Amity, the Confederation of Indian Industry, Guru Nanak, NICMAR, and MNR Universities were among the six universities, he added.

Procurement Of Yasangi Paddy:

The government's paddy procurement decision comes after the Centre refused to grant Telangana's paddy buying request. Since the state was constituted in 2014, Chandrashekhar Rao has detailed the variables that have resulted in a tremendous rise in agricultural productivity.

Sustained efforts by his government in repairing tanks under the Mission Kakatiya programme, providing quality and reliable power, re-engineering irrigation projects that resulted in the completion of the world's largest multi-stage lift irrigation project, Kaleshwaram, providing financial assistance to farmers through schemes like Rytu Bandhu and Rytu Bheema, and other proactive steps by his government, combined with good monsoons in the last three or four years, resulted in a dramatic increase in Telangana's agriculture productivity.

Despite repeated requests from him and his council of ministers, the Centre, which had persistently taken an anti-farmer position, refused to acquire paddy. Chandrasekhar Rao said that the Centre's actions were part of a larger plot to transfer control of the whole farm sector to corporations. He stated that he would convene a meeting of intellectuals and political parties soon to determine the future course of action. Following the deliberations, it was determined that Chief Minister KCR would order authorities to acquire Yasangi paddy at MSP rates. And paddy procurement will begin soon. CM KCR also appealed to farmers not to resort to distress sales.

Additional Runway At Shamshabad Airport:

GMR officials have been given instructions to build a second runway at Hyderabad International Airport, which has now become the country's fourth-largest airport. This would sit on the north side of the airport's existing terminal, he added.