Hyderabad: The state Cabinet has decided to take up Panchayat elections in December by providing 42 per cent reservations to BCs from the party. The government would soon call for a report from the Dedicated Commission for the same and take a Cabinet decision within a week.

This was informed by Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy after the Cabinet meeting which was held for over seven hours on Monday.

The Minister said that the term of the 15th Finance Commission would end on March 31, 2026. “If the Panchayat elections are not completed by then, the funds from the Finance Commission to the tune of Rs 3,000 crore will get lapsed. Hence, the Cabinet has directed the officials to start the exercise to complete the Panchayat elections in December itself and to make the necessary arrangements for it,” he explained. The Minister said that the High Court had already given a verdict.

“According to the directions of the Supreme Court, the elections should be held without exceeding the 50 per cent reservation limit. The Dedicated Commission has already given a list of reservations for BCs according to 42 per cent. The election process has also started on the basis of that. The election process has been stalled due to court cases. Now, to go for the elections, the list of reservations not exceeding 50 per cent will have to be obtained from the Dedicated Commission once again,” he said.

The Cabinet has decided to seek a report from the Dedicated Commission on the number of reservations for Sarpanch and ward members. It has been suggested that this process should be completed within a week and approved by the Cabinet. The Cabinet has decided to take the next decision on the MPTC and ZPTC elections only after the court verdicts on the issue of 42 per cent reservation for BCs are finalized, he explained.

The Cabinet has also decided to have a memorial for the poet Andesri who passed away recently and also a government job to his son Datta Sai as Assistant Professor in a government degree college. The Minister also said that every school textbook will have ‘Jaya Jaya he Telangana’ song printed on the first page. The Cabinet has also decided to bring an Act to provide security to the gig workers, which would help four lakh members, including three lakh alone in Hyderabad.

The Minister said that the SRSP stage II main canal will be named after Ramreddy Damodar Reddy.