No compromise on education and health, says Mallu

Hyderabad: The state government was according the top priority to education and healthcare and will not hesitate to allocate whatever funds are necessary to achieve the best outcomes in these sectors, said Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.

On Wednesday, pre-budget meetings of the minority welfare, BC welfare, transport, irrigation, civil supplies, roads and buildings and cinematography departments were held at the Secretariat. The Deputy Chief Minister conducted the meetings, along with Ministers Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Ponnam Prabhakar, Adluri Laxman Kumar and Azharuddin.

During the Minority Welfare Department review meeting, the Deputy CM instructed officials to prepare budget proposals with careful planning, commitment and clear prioritisation, while maintaining focus on revenue and expenditure management.

He directed officials to expedite the clearance of bills related to welfare hostels and gurukuls and to complete hostel building repairs at the earliest. Bills submitted promptly would be cleared without delay, he assured.

The Deputy Chief Minister ordered the immediate implementation of biometric attendance systems for students and teaching staff wherever they have not yet been introduced, and directed that these systems be linked to a Central Control Room.

He also instructed departments to explore installing solar power systems on hostel and residential buildings. Besides reducing electricity costs, solar energy could generate additional income, he said.

During the Irrigation Department meeting, Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy emphasised the need to explore crop diversification, noting challenges faced by farmers due to large-scale paddy cultivation and reduced procurement of boiled rice by states such as Tamil Nadu. The Deputy CM suggested promoting oil palm and pulses cultivation and enhancing storage capacity for agricultural produce.

Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman suggested constructing large buildings on valuable SC Welfare Department lands at Lower Tank Bund and Kachiguda in Hyderabad to support competitive exam preparation facilities for students. The Deputy CM also directed officials to examine the establishment of model kitchens in welfare hostels and implement the initiative in phases.

He stated that road construction works worth over Rs 1 lakh crore are underway across the state, including projects under HAM mode, the Regional Ring Road (RRR), Hyderabad–Vijayawada corridor, Future City to Bandar Port connectivity and Raviryala to Srisailam road works.

Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy appreciated the Deputy CM and Finance Minister for giving the green signal by signing documents to secure a HUDCO loan for the Regional Ring Road project.