HYDERABAD: Stating that the people have experienced the true meaning of ‘Praja Palana’ in just one month of the change of regime, Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Sunday said that the Congress government remained committed to transparency, accountability, and efficient governance.
Emphasising the government’s efforts to establish a strong connection with the people, Uttam said: “We came closer to the people during our month in office. Within a month, we have demonstrated how governance should be.”
Asserting that ministers and officials would be consistently available to address the concerns of citizens, Uttam said that the people of Telangana perceive a sense of new independence, expressing their happiness over the end of “dictatorial rule”.
Stating that several review meetings were held to assess the performance of the Irrigation and Civil Supplies departments, he said: “We have reviewed the Kaleshwaram project, the damage to Medigadda barrage, etc. We gave a PowerPoint presentation with top officials of the Kaleshwaram project and the construction firms of the Medigadda barrage. We presented the facts to the people and the media. We have requested the Chief Justice of Telangana High Court to appoint a sitting judge to probe the Kaleshwaram project irregularities.”
The minister recalled that he, along with Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, called on Union Jal Shakti Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat and requested national status for the Palamuru Rangareddy project.
Uttam promised continuous, transparent and accountable governance in the Irrigation and Civil Supplies departments. He said that the Civil Supplies department has accumulated debts of over Rs 58,000 crore due to the misgovernance of the previous BRS regime.
“Despite spending Rs 39 per kg, more than 70% of rice is not being directly consumed but is diverted to other purposes for as low as Rs 5 per kg. We are taking measures to ensure PDS rice reaches the people,” he said.