HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Monday asked district collectors to carry out field inspections and monitor the implementation of government schemes. He directed Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao to submit daily reports on the performance of district collectors.
In a videoconference with collectors, the chief minister said that fertiliser stocks in the state were adequate and instructed officials to install display boards at all fertiliser shops showing available stock. He also asked for two police personnel and one revenue official to be deployed at each outlet to monitor operations.
Revanth directed that criminal cases be filed against those diverting subsidised urea for non-agricultural purposes. He said Union Minister for Fertilisers JP Nadda had informed him that 20–25% of subsidised urea was being used in diesel vehicles to reduce smoke.
“This diversion must be curbed,” the chief minister said.
Launch toll-free number for fertilisers: CM to officials
Revanth said that videos showing farmers leaving their footwear in queues were creating a false perception of fertiliser shortage. “If stock boards are displayed, farmers will not believe such rumours,” he said. He also instructed officials to launch a toll-free number for complaints regarding fertiliser availability.
During the meeting, the chief minister reviewed the situation concerning rainfall, civil supplies, health, agriculture and irrigation. He asked officials to issue alerts at least two hours in advance of expected rainfall in urban and rural areas.
Referring to a cloudburst in Khammam last year that caused flooding within a few hours, Revanth said that the upgraded State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) must be used effectively. He noted that the state had recorded 21% less rainfall this season and identified traffic congestion in Hyderabad as a major issue during monsoon.
The chief minister also asked officials to provide accurate weather forecasts, prevent waterlogging and use WhatsApp groups for coordination. “If there is any loss of life, officials will be held responsible,” he said.
Pointing out that traffic disruptions and accidents have been reported in the Greater Hyderabad area due to water stagnation, the chief minister instructed that 150 teams under the GHMC, along with police, traffic department, NDRF, SDRF and HYDRAA teams, be kept on standby. He said that not just field staff, but senior officials must be physically present to oversee the situation. Coordination across departments must be managed from the Command and Control Room based on weather updates, he said.
CM allays fears on ration cards
The chief minister said the process of issuing ration cards was ongoing and that there was no need for concern. He said that seven lakh new ration cards had recently been issued, covering 31 lakh new beneficiaries. As of now, 96.95 lakh ration cards are active in the state, with around 3.1 crore people using them for daily provisions.
He said all ration card holders were being supplied sanna biyyam (fine rice). He added that the value of ration cards and the role of fair price shops had increased after the government began supplying this variety.
New ration cards will be issued in a state-wide drive from July 25 to August 10, with in-charge Ministers and local MLAs participating in at least one distribution function per Assembly segment.
Revanth Reddy said that 3,12,72,988 people were receiving sanna biyyam through the existing 96,95,299 cards. He directed district collectors to appoint RDOs or officers of higher rank to implement the five key issues discussed at Monday’s meeting.