The Telangana cabinet, chaired by chief minister A Revanth Reddy, on Friday approved a ₹200 crore scheme to convert petrol and diesel-powered auto rickshaws into electric vehicles within core Hyderabad capital region in a move to reduce automobile pollution and transform Hyderabad into a green city.
Disclosing this to reporters after the cabinet meeting, state information and public relations minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said there were currently around 18,766 petrol and diesel autos operating in the Core Urban Region (CURE) area of Hyderabad.
“Under the proposed scheme, eligible auto drivers will be provided a subsidy of up to ₹1.50 lakh per vehicle to facilitate the transition to electric autos,” the minister said, adding the decision was taken as part of the state government’s efforts to reduce vehicular emissions and promote cleaner transportation in Hyderabad.
The cabinet also decided to encourage farmers to cultivate seven identified varieties of fine-grain paddy during the Kharif season and provide a bonus of ₹500 per quintal specifically for these seven varieties of fine paddy this year.
“The government will undertake a widespread awareness campaign through gram panchayat buildings and Rythu Vedikas across the State to encourage farmers to increase cultivation of these varieties,” the minister said.
{{/usCountry}}“The government will undertake a widespread awareness campaign through gram panchayat buildings and Rythu Vedikas across the State to encourage farmers to increase cultivation of these varieties,” the minister said.
{{/usCountry}}The cabinet approved bringing all the existing Industrial Training Institutes (ITIs), Advanced Training Centres (ATCs) and polytechnic colleges under the jurisdiction of the newly-formed Young India Skills University.
“At present, these institutions function under the Technical Education Department. The cabinet decided that they would be removed from the purview of the Telangana Education Act and brought under the Young India Skills University framework,” Srinivas Reddy said.
He said the move was aimed at integrating the State’s technical and vocational education infrastructure with the skills university.
The cabinet gave its approval for establishing Young India Integrated Residential School complexes in seven assembly constituencies — Adilabad, Nirmal, Mudhole, Boath, Sirpur, Gajwel and Dubbaka.
He said the state government had proposed establishing Young India Integrated Residential School complexes in 113 assembly constituencies. With the seven schools approved on Friday, permissions have now been granted for 86 school complexes, he said.
The cabinet also decided to extend the deadline for applications under the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation (HILT) policy, which seeks to facilitate the relocation of polluting industries operating within Hyderabad city limits to areas on the city’s outskirts.
In response to requests from applicants, the government extended the application deadline by another three months, allowing applications to be submitted until October 31.
The cabinet has tentatively decided to hold the Telangana Rising Global Summit 2.0 on December 7, 8 and 9 this year. A sub-committee headed by deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka and ministers Duddilla Sridhar Babu, N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Vivek Venkataswamy, would be constituted to organise the event.
He said the upcoming summit will be organised around the theme ‘Invest Telangana’ with focus on projecting Telangana as a major global destination for investments in sectors such as defence, aerospace and pharmaceuticals. The government also plans to unveil the Future City plan during the summit, he said.