In a first, 15,623 MW of power supplied across Telangana in single day on March 8

Hyderabad: On March 8, 15,623 megawatts of electricity was supplied across Telangana, the highest for a single-day power supply in the state's history, said deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka.

Addressing the media on Saturday, the deputy CM said that the Congress government has been supplying more electricity than the previous government to meet the state's power consumption demands.

In December 2022, 200 million units of electricity were supplied, while it was 207.07 million units in December 2023. In March 2023, 289.78 million units of electricity were supplied and it was increased to 295.21 million units in March 2024, the deputy CM elaborated.

Focus on solar power

Bhatti Vikramarka said that the State government is aiming to provide an uninterrupted power supply to everyone, anticipating an increase in demand and consumption.

“The State government is now giving special attention to alternative power generation. We will utilise unused coal blocks in Singareni Collieries to generate solar power. We will make floating solar plants available in large and medium-sized cultivation water reservoirs,” the deputy CM said.

He said that they have also directed the authorities to study main irrigation canals and bunds to generate solar power.

Indiramma scheme from March 11

The Indiramma housing scheme for weaker sections – the fifth welfare guarantee by Congress – will be launched by chief minister Revanth Reddy in Bhadrachalam on March 11. As many as 3,500 houses will be allotted to beneficiaries in each constituency.

As part of the scheme, the State government will extend Rs 5 lakhs for the construction of houses to each eligible family with land. Families without land will be provided with it, in addition to the Rs 5 lakhs. Priority will be given to the eligible poor who submitted applications during the Praja Palana programme.

Gruha Jyothi scheme

Bhatti Vikramarka said that the Gruha Jyothi scheme – up to 200 units of free electricity to poor households – was received positively. “So far, 40,33,702 households have benefitted from the scheme and have received zero electricity bills,” said Bhatti Vikramarka.

On the allegations that not every eligible household has been given zero bills, Bhatti said that those households who have given service collection numbers wrong might be getting regular bills even if their power consumption is below 200 units. “They need not pay the bill but they have to go to a nearby electricity office and update their correct service number,” he said.

Taking potshots at the BRS party, he said, “About 40,000 crores worth pending bills were left pending by the previous BRS government. We have been clearing them based on priority. Despite hurdles, we are initiating all our schemes per the promises made before the state polls. There is no point in blaming us or making allegations. We are taking up things logically.”

On March 12, the government is re-launching an interest-free scheme for women's self-help groups. To assist women take up their businesses, small-scale industry parks will be set up soon by the government, he said.

ITI training for youth with Tata

On Saturday, the Telangana State government entered into an agreement with Tata Technologies to transform 65 ITIs (Industrial Training Institutes) in the state into advanced technical skill training centres.

The agreement was signed between state officials and representatives of Tata Technologies in the presence of the CM Revanth at the Secretariat here. Under this new project, they will conduct nine long-term, 23 short-term courses, and many bridge courses in ITIs from the 2024-25 academic year.

Revanth Reddy had met Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran during the World Economic Forum in Davos and discussed various proposals along with investments in the state.