HYDERABAD: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu on Thursday said the Congress-led state government is committed to addressing the needs of government employees and accused the previous TRS regime of financial mismanagement and neglect. He made the remarks at a public event marking the foundation stone laying ceremony for the new Medical College building in Khammam.
Bhatti stated that the government had formed a committee of officials to review employee demands, adding that salaries were now being paid on time every month unlike during the TRS administration, which often delayed them past the 15th. He said Chief Minister Revanth Reddy had assured that staff grievances would be addressed systematically.
Without naming names, the Deputy CM took aim at opposition leaders, mocking them for issuing “baseless” statements from luxurious farmhouses. “They abandoned governance for a decade and are now pretending to care,” he said.
He contrasted the current administration’s policies with those of its predecessor, accusing the TRS government of borrowing ₹7 lakh crore without prioritising staff welfare or development. In contrast, he said, the Congress government had launched ₹60,000–70,000 crore worth of welfare schemes without burdening citizens.
Highlighting the state’s initiatives in education and healthcare, Bhatti said Telangana now has 9,065 seats across 63 government and private medical colleges. Since Damodara Rajanarasimha became minister, eight new colleges were added, and work on permanent buildings is ongoing.
He ridiculed the TRS government’s low spending on health, pointing out that they allocated just ₹5,959 crore between 2014 and 2023, while the present government has already spent ₹11,482 crore in a single year. He said this alone debunks the opposition’s claims at a recent rally in Warangal, where they labelled every initiative a failure.
Bhatti also accused the previous regime of ignoring the Rajiv Arogyasri scheme and leaving medical bills unpaid. The Congress government, he said, cleared dues and doubled the insurance coverage to ₹10 lakh, helping 90 lakh families. He added that while the TRS spent only ₹54.12 crore annually on Arogyasri, the current government has already spent ₹36 crore within a year.
Turning to the education sector, he said hostels’ diet charges were increased by 40%, and cosmetic charges were tripled. He announced the construction of 58 India International Schools at a cost of ₹11,600 crore, aimed at providing world-class education.
In the housing sector, Bhatti said the government had sanctioned 4.5 lakh Indiramma houses with a total outlay of ₹22,500 crore. He took a swipe at the previous government for failing to build a single double-bedroom home in 10 years.
Farmers, too, have seen relief, he said. One-time waiver of ₹22,000 crore of farm loans has been made, and ₹12,000 per acre is being given under Rythu Bharosa scheme. Also, 24-hour free power is being given to 29 lakh agricultural pump sets at a cost of ₹12,500 crore, and LPG cylinders are being provided at ₹500.
Women are benefiting from free travel in RTC buses, and the long-neglected Sitarama project has seen a revival under the new name “Rajiv Canal” with an initial ₹100 crore allocation.
On employment, Bhatti said 57,000 government jobs have been filled in the past year, and 30,000 more vacancies will soon be announced. A new self-employment programme, Rajiv Vikasam, has been launched with a ₹9,000 crore budget to help unemployed youth.
He also announced the Indira Girijana Vikasam scheme, under which ₹12,500 crore will be spent to support tribal farmers with land rights. Benefits include free sprinklers, solar systems, and support for crops like avocado and oil palm.
Bhatti said the foundation of the Khammam Medical College building marked a key milestone in bringing quality, multi-speciality healthcare to the district. “People won’t have to travel to Hyderabad anymore—they’ll get the treatment they need right here,” he said.
