CM Revanth directs Telangana collectors to focus on farm reforms and tech-driven governance

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has asked the Telangana collectors to focus on agriculture reforms and use technology for the welfare of the people.

The CM chaired a collectors’ conference in the state to give them clarity on the government’s priorities and follow transparency along with ground-level execution.

Empowering local leaders

The Chief Minister made it clear that the success of the government’s ambitious 99-day programs rests on the active participation of local representatives. He directed collectors to involve everyone from ward members and Sarpanches to mayors and corporators.

To ensure they are equipped for the task, a mandatory one-day training session will be organised at all district headquarters to clarify their duties, supported by the distribution of printed instructional manuals.

The green shift

A significant portion of the conference focused on sustainability.

The CM ordered the electricity department to launch a massive awareness campaign in villages regarding rooftop solar plants. The solar-powered initiatives include:

- Grid Integration: Homeowners will be educated on how to generate income by connecting their solar systems to the grid.

- Farming: Farmers are to be encouraged to swap traditional pump sets for solar-powered alternatives to reduce costs and carbon footprints.

Facial recognition to weed out fraud

In a move toward ‘leakage-proof’ governance, the CM announced that Facial Recognition (FR) technology will now be mandatory for all government schemes.

Highlighting a recent success, he noted that FR technology helped identify and remove 3 lakh ineligible beneficiaries from the Aasara pension scheme. “Technology is our best tool against unauthorised benefits. We must ensure that every rupee reaches the truly eligible citizen,” the CM stated.

PHCs asked to refer patients to govt hospitals

The Chief Minister issued a stern warning regarding campus safety, declaring that school and college managements will be held directly responsible for any drug or e-cigarette use on their premises.

In a landmark move, every private and corporate educational institution must now appoint a qualified psychologist.

At the same time, local PHCs and CHCs have been directed to refer patients to the state’s 35 Government Medical Colleges to ensure the public benefits from top-tier equipment and specialist expertise.

Infrastructure and public safety

To tackle the issue of crumbling infrastructure, the Transport Department will soon launch a dedicated WhatsApp number for citizens to report potholes and "black spots" (accident-prone zones).

Furthermore, the CM took a tough stance on environmental violations, ordering the seizure of vehicles found dumping construction waste along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) and holding maintenance agencies accountable for lapses.

Revitalising agriculture

The CM called for a seamless synergy between the Agriculture and Civil Supplies departments. Key agricultural directives include:

- Soil Testing: Rapid delivery of soil health reports to farmers.

- Crop Diversification: Strategic shifting toward crops with high market demand.

- Urea Management: Simplification of the ‘Urea App’ and field demonstrations of Nano Urea to resolve farmer grievances.