Telangana State Government set to implement two additional guarantees

Hyderabad: The Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has issued directives to officials for the immediate preparation and implementation of the "Gruha Jyothi" and "Rs 500 Cooking Gas Cylinder" schemes. These schemes are tentatively scheduled for launch on February 27th or 29th. The Chief Minister emphasized that all applicants from the Praja Palana program should benefit from these guarantees.

In a recent meeting at the Secretariat, the CM and Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka, along with Ministers N Uttam Kumar Reddy, D Sridhar Babu, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, and Chief Advisor to the Chief Minister Vemnarender Reddy, reviewed the terms and conditions with the Cabinet Sub-Committee.

The State Government has already implemented two of the six Guarantees: the Mahalakshmi scheme, offering free bus travel for women on TSRTC buses, and an enhanced Arogyasri scheme with a limit raised to Rs 10 lakh from Rs 5 lakh. Two additional guarantees, "Gruha Jyothi" and "Rs 500 Gas Cylinder" schemes, are in the pipeline. The Cabinet Sub-Committee discussed the necessary arrangements and procedures for executing these schemes.

Concerning the Rs 500 gas cylinder scheme, the Chief Minister instructed officials to ensure all eligible Praja Palana applicants receive the benefit. Discussions were held with the State Finance and Civil Supplies department on challenges in disbursing gas subsidies, emphasizing a user-friendly mechanism where beneficiaries pay only Rs 500. Talks with gas distribution agencies are ongoing to facilitate this process.

For the Gruha Jyothi scheme, the Chief Minister directed the Energy Department to implement it transparently, extending it to White Ration cardholders consuming below 200 units per month for domestic use. 'Zero' electricity bills will be issued to eligible beneficiaries from the first week of March. Applicants with errors in their Praja Palana submissions will have an opportunity for corrections, facilitated through electricity bill collection and service centers.

To ensure maximum participation, the Chief Minister instructed officials to establish regular counters at MPDO and Tahsildar offices for continuous application submissions from those who missed the Praja Palana program.

The meeting, attended by State Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, Finance Special Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao, Civil Supplies Commissioner DS Chauhan, TRANSCO and GENCO CMD Rizvi, CM Principal Secretary Sheshadri, and other officials, focused on the meticulous planning and execution of these upcoming guarantees.