Khammam: Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka Mallu on Saturday said that the State government would address the needs of the people on a large scale in the coming days and ensure that every rupee of public money reaches the people.

The Deputy Chief Minister was speaking at a public meeting after inaugurating a 33/11 KV sub-station at Ananth Nagar in the Palair Assembly constituency and laying the foundation stone for another sub-station along with Revenue, Information and Housing Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy.

Bhatti said the present government belongs to all sections of society and is committed to pooling all resources and wealth for the welfare of the people, not for rulers or looters. “Every rupee will be distributed to the people. That is the clear objective of this government,” he asserted.

He said that every household in Telangana is benefiting from at least one welfare scheme, including 200 units of free electricity, supply of fine rice through the public distribution system, construction of Indiramma houses worth Rs 5 lakh each, free RTC bus travel for women, 24-hour free power for farmers, minimum support price for paddy along with a bonus of Rs 500 per quintal, 100 days of wage employment under employment guarantee schemes and enhancement of Aarogyasri health coverage to Rs 10 lakh.

“With these initiatives, the government has instilled confidence among the people that it is truly a people’s government,” he said. “Reflecting this confidence, 65 to 70 per cent of Congress-backed candidates were elected as sarpanches in the recent local body elections,” he added.

Criticising former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao, Bhatti recalled that the Indiramma housing scheme was earlier ridiculed with remarks questioning basic facilities. He said that despite ruling the State for 10 years, the previous government failed to provide even a single double-bedroom house.

“In contrast, immediately after coming to power, the people’s government began constructing Indiramma houses as promised,” he said. In the first phase, 3,500 houses are being built in each Assembly constituency, totalling about 4.5 lakh houses across the State at an estimated cost of Rs 22,500 crore. He added that bills for Indiramma housing works are being sanctioned every week.

The Deputy Chief Minister said that former Congress president Sonia Gandhi granted Telangana statehood with the vision that its resources would benefit its own people. However, the previous rulers failed to fulfil that responsibility and instead burdened the State with a debt of Rs 8.5 lakh crore.

“Despite the financial mismanagement and governance failures of the past decade, the present government is continuing welfare programmes smoothly and without disruption, keeping public welfare as its priority,” he added.

Bhatti said Telangana is the only State in the country providing farmers not only minimum support price but also a bonus. He said fine rice is being supplied at 6 kg per person to 96 lakh families at a cost of Rs 13,500 crore.

One crore Indiramma sarees are being distributed door-to-door to women, while Rs 26,000 crore in interest-free loans has been extended to women self-help groups in the first year itself.

In the Palair constituency, he said nearly 65 per cent of families are benefiting from the 200 units of free electricity scheme.