Cabinet okays medical college in Palamuru

• Marathon Cabinet meeting decides to hike salaries for outsourcing employees, regularise services of the contract employees
• Business being carried out by the hawkers and street vendors will be brought under Medium and Small Business Act
• It will help them secure bank loans

Hyderabad: The marathon Telangana Cabinet meeting, which lasted over 11 hours on Saturday, took several key decisions. Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao chaired the meeting.

The meeting focussed its attention mostly on the ensuing GHMC elections and ratified several decisions like hike in salaries of outsourcing employees, regularisation of contract employees and implementation of various welfare schemes.

The Cabinet gave its nod to several schemes, including giving permission for hawkers and street vendors to continue with their business and bring them under Medium and Small Business Act, so that they can be provided with loans.

The government also decided to establish 60 Minority residential schools - 30 for boys and 30 for girls across the state. It is learnt that the Cabinet had also decided to give 30 per cent of the basic salary of the traffic cops as pollution allowance. Apart from it, the government also decided upgrade about 92 urban health centres to town level primary health centres.

The Cabinet also decided to set up a Medical College in Mahbubnagar district and sanctioned 462 posts. It also gave nod for recruitment for filling vacant posts in Health sector to boost medical services for people across the State.

The Cabinet discussed the State budget and stressed on the need to take up austerity measures. Emphasising the need for reduction in non-plan budget expenditure allocations, KCR reportedly asked the Ministers and officials to come up with factual proposals by slashing expenditure to some extent.

The Chief Minister said it had been decided that every district would have district specific card to secure allocations every month without making rounds to Finance Department and that money would be transferred to the respective departments in the district. The card would also have details of how the money should be spent. The Ministers from the district, the Collectors would be able to monitor the execution of the works.

The Cabinet also gave its nod to waive the arrears of power and water bills for poorer sections under GHMC limits. The water dues have been pending since 1989 and would put an additional burden of Rs 450 crore on the exchequer. KCR said the reduction of property tax from Rs 1,200 to Rs 101 would benefit 3.12 lakh families.

Among other important decision taken were regularisation of about 1,8000 contract workers by January end and increase in the wages of outsourcing employees. Those who have been getting a wage of Rs 6,700 would be hiked to Rs 12000. Those getting salary of Rs 8,400 to Rs 15,000 and those getting a wage of Rs 10,900 will get Rs 17,000. This would put Rs 400-Rs 500 crore burden on the exchequer.

The Cabinet also decided to sanction 80 posts in Minorities Welfare Department which so far was running with officers on deputation. Similarly the Cabinet sanctioned 108 posts in Irrigation Department and Warangal MGM hospital 147 posts had been sanctioned.

The Chief Minister further said the cost of two bedroom houses in GHMC limits would be fixed at Rs 7 lakh as the civic authorities here were asked to go in for multi-story buildings with a lift. Referring to the budget, he said the State had achieved a 15 per cent growth in revenue collection this financial year as compared to last year.

Replying to a question, he said that if the Centre agreed to raise the FRBM limit and give money farm loans would be waived off in single instalment.