Jubilee Hill Win Shows Trust In Cong. Rule: Ponguleti
The verdict in Jubilee Hills showed how strongly the Congress government had supported the poor through its welfare schemes in just two years: Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy
NALGONDA: Minister for revenue and housing Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Sunday said that the result of the Jubilee Hills Assembly bypoll reflected the people’s confidence in the effective governance of the Congress government.
Speaking at a programme in Yellandu, Bhadadri-Kothagudem district, where he distributed sanction letters for Indiramma houses to tribal beneficiaries, Srinivas Reddy said the verdict in Jubilee Hills showed how strongly the Congress government had supported the poor through its welfare schemes in just two years. He noted that the Congress candidate secured 51 per cent of the total votes polled. The people, he said, gave a fitting reply to BRS leaders who had claimed that the by-election would be a referendum on the party’s 10-year rule.
Referring to a former minister’s claim that one lakh double-bedroom houses were built during the previous BRS government, he said more than one lakh 2BHK houses taken up by that government were left incomplete, ranging from basement to roof level. He alleged that the BRS government showed little interest in housing for the poor, who dreamt of owning a home, because the scheme did not offer “commissions” to ruling party leaders. Instead, he claimed, it prioritised the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme, which helped top officials amass wealth.
He assured that the Congress government would complete all the pending double-bedroom houses and allot them to the poorest families. Since coming to power, the government has sanctioned 4.5 lakh Indiramma houses in one year, spending ₹22,000 crore. Houses are being sanctioned irrespective of caste, religion or political affiliation. Bills for Indiramma houses are deposited directly into beneficiaries’ bank accounts every Monday, based on work progress. He reiterated that all eligible families would receive houses in the next three phases. An additional 1,000 Indiramma houses have been sanctioned for constituencies under the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA).
Srinivas Reddy strongly criticised the previous BRS government for not issuing new ration cards to poor families during its decade in power. In contrast, the Congress government has issued 16 lakh new ration cards and added another 16 lakh individuals to existing cards, he said.
He added that Telangana is the only state in the country supplying fine rice through the public distribution system, unlike BJP-ruled states. The Congress government decided to supply fine rice to ensure that the poor also have access to high-quality food.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to its “Rythe Raju” (Farmer is King) promise, he said crop loans worth ₹21,000 crore, taken by 25 lakh farmers with loans up to ₹2 lakh, had been waived. This, he said, freed 25 lakh farmers from indebtedness. The ₹500 bonus per quintal for fine-variety paddy will continue this crop season as well.
Later, he inaugurated a blood bank at Yellandu Area Hospital, interacted with dialysis patients, and instructed ITDA PO B. Rahul to sanction a new ambulance and patient ward for the hospital.
Mahbubabad MP Porika Balaram Naik and Yellandu MLA Koram Kanakaiah also attended the programme.
