Telangana CM allocates Rs 60 crore from relief fund for minority welfare hostels

Hyderabad, Oct 13 (PTI) Telangana CM Revanth Reddy on Monday announced the release of Rs 60 crore from the chief minister’s relief fund to meet the emergency needs of BC, SC, ST, and minority welfare hostels in the state.

“The funds will be used for diet charges in the hostels, payment of temporary staff salaries, motor repairs, and other emergency works in residential hostels,” a release from the CMO said.

During a high-level review of all welfare departments, the chief minister handed over cheques of Rs 60 crore to senior officers of the respective departments.

Emphasising the need to upgrade welfare hostels with technology to ensure quality education, Reddy directed authorities to implement facial recognition for students, teaching, and non-teaching staff in every hostel.

He stressed that accountability and complete availability of data are crucial to running the hostels effectively and achieving good academic results.

Reddy also instructed officials to develop an app to monitor the quality of food served to students regularly.

“Several measures should be taken to ensure that students get quality and nutritious food with proper nutrients, including calories, in their regular diet,” he added.

Reddy reviewed the supply of uniforms and books to hostel students and directed officials to upload details of hostel management and accommodation facilities on the dashboard daily.

Highlighting the importance of student health, he suggested establishing a network linking hostels with government and private medical colleges, community health centres, and area hospitals in every district. Officials were instructed to organise medical camps in the hostels and ensure doctors are available during emergencies.

District collectors and additional collectors were also asked to visit hostels frequently to ensure students receive better services.

Further, Reddy proposed setting up a 24-hour online doctor hotline and using educational technology (‘ed tech’) to help students prepare for competitive exams.

He added that services provided to hostel students should be communicated through social media to counter false propaganda.

To streamline administration and ensure efficient hostel management, the chief minister directed Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and Special Chief Secretary of Welfare Departments Sabyasachi Ghosh to submit an action plan.

The plan should cover scholarships, staff salaries, diet charges, construction costs, and other expenses. It should also include payment of dues, monthly operational costs, and the total amount required for BC, SC, ST, and minority hostels.

State BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, SC, ST and Minority Welfare Minister Adluri Laxman Kumar, Chief Minister’s Advisor Vem Narender Reddy, State Government Advisor Shabbir Ali, Chief Minister’s Principal Secretary V Seshadri, Chief Minister’s OSD Vemula Srinivasulu, and officials from the BC, SC, ST, Minority, and Disabled Departments were present, the release added. PTI VVK SSK