Telangana Cabinet approves 42% BC quota, 22,000 new jobs, review of past decisions

Hyderabad: Telangana State Cabinet approved reservations for Backward Classes, an additional 22,000 jobs, amendments in the Panchayat Raj Act and reviewed the decisions from the previous 18 Cabinet meetings in its 19th Cabinet meeting on Thursday.

The meeting was chaired by chief minister A Revanth Reddy, who approved BC reservations in local bodies, new universities and other developmental initiatives.

Reservations for Backward Classes (BCs)

The Cabinet approved 42 per cent reservations for Backward Classes (BCs) in local body elections. This decision followed the bill passed in the March Assembly session, which aimed to provide 42 per cent representation to BCs in education, employment and local bodies.

The High Court recently directed the government to finalise reservations for Panchayat elections by the end of the month.

The State Government has already appointed a dedicated commission for BCs in line with Supreme Court judgments and undertaken a caste census under the State Planning Department. The data gathered from these committees formed the basis for the 42 per cent reservation bill approved in the Assembly on Thursday.

The Cabinet resolved to implement the 42 per cent reservations based on available empirical data and population figures.

For finalising the BC reservations, the gram panchayat sarpanches and MPTCs will be considered with the mandals as the units, MPPs and ZPTCs with the district as the units, and ZP chairpersons with the State as the unit.

Amendments to Panchayat Raj Act

To facilitate the increase in BC reservations, the Cabinet approved amendments to the State’s Panchayat Raj Act-2018. Necessary steps for these amendments will be undertaken soon.

Establishment of new private universities

The Cabinet approved the establishment of two new private universities in the State, Amity University and Saint Mary’s Rehabilitation University. For Amity University, the government has stipulated a condition that 50 per cent of admissions must be reserved for local Telangana students.

Delisting of Gram Panchayats

The Cabinet approved the delisting of 18 Gram Panchayats that will now be included within the newly formed Jinnaaram and Indresham Municipalities in Sangareddy district.

Modern Gaushala establishment and management

The Cabinet decided to form a three-member committee, headed by the chief secretary, to oversee the establishment and maintenance of modern gaushalas (cow shelters) in the State. The committee is tasked with submitting its report before the next Cabinet meeting. Telangana currently has 306 gaushalas.

A PowerPoint presentation by the Animal Husbandry Department, along with designs for new gaushalas, was showcased during the meeting.

It was decided to construct State-of-the-art gaushalas in NK Pally (Hyderabad), Veterinary University, Vemulawada, and Yadagirigutta.

The Cabinet also resolved to formulate a comprehensive policy document for the registration and management of existing gaushalas in the State.

Acceleration of land acquisition for pending projects

The Cabinet decided to expedite the land acquisition process for pending projects across the State.

New Tradition: Cabinet meeting review

The State Cabinet initiated a new tradition by reviewing decisions made and their implementation progress from previous Cabinet meetings.

Since December 7, 2023, 18 Cabinet meetings have taken place, with today’s being the 19th. Out of 327 items discussed in past meetings, the Cabinet approved 321. The Cabinet discussed the implementation progress of these initiatives with officials from various departments.

New job opportunities

The State Government said it has filled 60,000 jobs in the past year and a half. Additionally, the recruitment process for 17,084 jobs is in various stages. The Cabinet discussed issuing notifications soon for an additional 22,033 new job vacancies.

The Cabinet directed the Finance Department to collect Aadhaar and complete details of all outsourcing and contract employees in various departments to review their performance.

The chief minister instructed officials to introduce reforms to increase accountability in government employees’ attendance and performance. This responsibility has been assigned to the previously constituted committee on employee matters, which is directed to submit a full report within two months.