The Telangana state government on Saturday (today) issued orders imposing restrictions on New Year celebrations to check spread of Omicron variant.

The restrictions came into force with immediate effect and will be in force till January 2, 2022.

The government also prohibited all rallies and public meetings till January 2.

However, the events such as New Year events involving congregation of people will be permitted with certain conditions.

Physical distancing should be ensured within the venue. No persona without a mask will be allowed in the venue. IR thermometers/ thermal scanners should be arranged at the entry point to sca persons entering the venue.

The orders for imposition of Rs 1,000 penalty for not wearing masks by people in public places should be strictly enforced.

The restrictions followed the orders issued by Telangana High Court on December 23 directing state government to impose restrictions ahead of Christmas, New Year and Sankranthi to prevent public gatherings to check spread of Covid and Omicron variant.

The Telangana government on Saturday said that it will begin the process of accepting claims from tribals to settle the long-pending Podu land issue from November 8 and end by December 8.

Village committees will be formed as per the Recognition of Forest Rights (ROFR) Act to receive the claims.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed officials to appoint a nodal officer for every two or three villages, a Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO) at the sub division level and a Collector at the district level, to monitor the process.

Podu lands are the lands tilled by tribals in the forests and there has been clashes over this between them and the forest department.

Following assurance given in the state Assembly to address this issue,Rao directed his officials to launch an action plan to settle the claims.

At a meeting held by the Chief Minister with top officials on Saturday, it was revealed that 87 per cent of Podu lands have been encroached in 12 districts – Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Komaram Bhim Asifabad, Adilabad, Jayashankar Bhoopalpally, Kamareddy, Khammam, Nirmal, Warangal, Nalgonda and Nizamabad.

Rao instructed the district collectors to convene an all-party meeting in the districts on solving Podu land issues and protection of forestlands.

“There should be a unanimous opinion from the all-party leaders on providing ROFR rights to those already doing the Podu cultivation and later ensuring that not even an inch of forestland is encroached.”

Rao said MPs, ZP (Zilla Parishad) chairpersons, MPPs (Mandal Praja Parishads), MLAs, ZPTCs (Zilla Parishad Territorial COnstituencies), and other public representatives should participate in the meeting.

He also suggested that head of the villages and other public representatives be encouraged to protect the forestland.

In a bid to revive and develop forestlands as thick forests while solving the Podu land issues and protecting the forestlands, Rao instructed the Collectors, Forest and Police department officials to take stringent action against those destroying the forests while extending help to the innocent tribals who are dependent on the forest.

He also directed the officials to prepare a comprehensive action plan to identify thick forests and free them from encroachments.

At the meeting he said: “Innocent tribals have always protected the forests like their own lives. It is those coming from outside who destroy the forests. Tribal children belonging to Gond, Koya, and Kolam communities, would never harm the forest. We must invoke Preventive Detention (PD) Act to stop people coming from the outside to destroy the forests.”

He also suggested that all those tribals involved in the Podu cultivation within the forest should be provided with an alternative government land nearby for cultivation.

“If there is no government land available, they should be provided with land on the outer periphery of the forest. They should also be given free water, power and residential homes. Boundaries of forestlands must be fixed and protection trench should be formed and on the trench Nicker Nuts (Gacchakayi). For the formation of the trench along with the forest funds, Employment Guarantee Scheme funds should be utilised,” he said.

The Telangana government on Monday took up distribution of over three lakh new ration cards across the state.

Ministers and legislators distributed the food security cards to the beneficiaries at programmes held in all the districts.

Civil Supplies Minister Gangula Kamalakar, along with Tribal, and Women and Child Welfare Minister Satyavati Rathore formally launched the distribution of ration cards in Jayashankar-Bhupalpally district.

He said 4.15 lakh families had applied for ration cards while a total of 3,09,082 cards are being distributed across the state, claiming that this is the first time anywhere in the country that over 3 lakh ration cards are being distributed in a single day.

Over eight lakh new beneficiaries will get 6 kg rice each at a subsidised price of Re 1 per kg from August.

The state already has 87.41 lakh ration cards and 2.80 crore beneficiaries. With the distribution of new cards, the total number has gone up to 91 lakh, and the number of beneficiaries increased to 2.88 crore.

The state government will have to spend an additional Rs 200 crore per annum to supply nearly 6,000 metric tonnes of rice to the 8.65 lakh new beneficiaries.

The minister said the government is spending Rs 231 crore on public distribution system every month, and allocating Rs 2,766 crore for the purpose every year.

Kamalakar directed officials to open ration sub-centres in remote areas and ensure that those unable to come to ration shops get the ration at their doorsteps.

The minister noted that the production of food grains, especially paddy, has increased manifold over the last seven years due to the measures taken by the TRS government to promote agriculture and for welfare of farmers.

He pointed out that on one hand, farmers are getting 24 hour free electricity while on the other, the government is also providing them investment support. The completion of irrigation projects also ensured availability of abundant water. “As a result of all these, Telangana has today reached to the position of being Annapurna (food provider) for the country,” he said.

Rathore said the state government was working with the vision that nobody in the state should go hungry.

She said Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has directed that ration cards should be issued to all the applicants, and that the Chief Minister was not only taking care of the poor in the state but he also extended helping hand to migrant workers during Covid-19 pandemic by giving them Rs 500, rice and other essential commodities.

The Telangana state government on Tuesday issued orders increasing market value of lands/ flats and registration charges, stamp duty with effect from July 22, 2021.

The rates were revised for the first time after the formation of Telangana State in 2014.

The previous revision was done in Undivided AP in 2013, which continue to be in force even today.

The registration charges, stamp duty has been increased from 6% to 7.5%.

All registrations which will take place on or after July 22, 2021, will be as per new rates even if registration slots have been booked and payments have been made earlier.

The lowest value of agriculture lands has been fixed at Rs 75,000 per acre . For agriculture lands, the existing values have been enhanced by 50% in ower range, 40% in mid range and 30% in higher range.

In case of open plots, the lowest value earlier was Rs 100 per squared yard, which has now been revised to Rs 200 per square yard. The basic values for open plots have been revised by 50% in lower range, 40% in mid range and 30% in higher range.

The existing lowest value for flats/ apartments was Rs 800 per sft which has now been revised to Rs 1,000 per sft. In case of flats/ apartments, the increase is by 20% in lower ranges and 30% in higher ranges.

The Telangana State Cabinet on Saturday approved the construction of three more super speciality hospitals under the GHMC limits and to modernise existing TIMS-Gachibowli as a super speciality hospital keeping in view the needs of people.

Among the three new super speciality hospitals, one would be on the premises of Government Chest Hospital, the second one at the fruit
market premises at Gaddi Annaram area where the fruit market is shifted and the third one in Medchel Malkajgiri district between Alwal
and the ORR. In all the Cabinet has decided to set up four super speciality hospitals including the TIMS.

The State Cabinet has ratified the decision taken by government to modernize the existing vegetable market in Kothapet and convert into
an integrated vegetable and meat market.

The agriculture department officials informed the cabinet that the paddy yield last year was more than 3 Crore tonnes. So far this
season, till this month the rainfall was more than 60 per cent than the normal rainfall. The rainfall is more than 5 per cent compared to
the last year; the agriculture department briefed the cabinet.

The marketing department stated that the government had procured 1.4 crore tonnes of paddy last year, the traders purchased 1.6 crore
tonnes and the rest is used by people for their own needs. The agriculture department informed the cabinet that so far Rs 5,145 crore
had already deposited in the farmers’ accounts this kharif under Rythu Bandhu.

The Cabinet has instructed the officials concerned to re launch the sheep distribution scheme for the Yadavs who are in the shepherd
rearing profession. The cabinet also instructed the officials to take all the necessary measures to set up modern hair dressing saloons in the villages as decided earlier for the benefit of Nayi Brahmin professionals.

The cabinet also instructed that measures should be taken to ensure that the toddy tappers get the insurance immediately, release of ex
gratia amount to toddy and fisheries workers, to release funds to the MBC Corporation for the benefit of other hereditary professions. Like
the way farmers’ insurance is being paid quickly, insurance to hereditary professionals should also be paid. The cabinet also
instructed the officials to take measures to pay the handloom workers’ insurance.

The Telangana state government has recently put nearly 65 acres of land on Hyderabad city outskirts for auction to raise revenues.

Accordingly, the HMDA had issued notification on June 15 to auction lands. Most of these land parcels (plots) are located in prime IT corridor area in western part of the city which commands huge real estate value.

However, the government fixing minimum bid price of Rs 25 crore per acre has surprised corporates, builders and realtors.

This is because the land parcels in these areas fetched Rs 35 crore to Rs 40 crore during earlier auctions in 2016, 2017 etc. Many expected that the minimum price could be Rs 40 crore per acre.

This has raised doubts over the motives behind TRS government for fixing lower price.

Several builders and realtors in Telangana are considered close to CM KCR and his son KTR.

Opposition parties allege that few builders close to KCR and KTR have brought pressure on government to fix lower price so that they can claim valuable lands for lower price and earn heavy profits later.

Builders and realtors close to TRS are allegedly bringing pressure on others not to file bids or quote higher prices. They reportedly formed a ring to grab valuable lands for cheaper prices.

Whether these doubts are right or wrong would be known only on July 16 when bids will be opened.

While the Jagan government has been repeatedly defying the Andhra Pradesh High Court verdicts and challenging its directives in the Supreme Court, the Telangana government has honoured the HC verdict on SSC exams.

The KCR government on Saturday decided to put off the SSC examinations in the entire state although the Telangana High Court gave a directive not to hold the exams only in Hyderabad, Secunderabad and Ranga Reddy districts. Consequently, the Telangana government will inform the High Court of its decision to postpone the SSC examinations on Monday. A decision to this effect was taken at a high-level meeting.

On Saturday, ending a month-long suspense over the SSC examinations, the Telangana High Court had directed the KCR government to postpone SSC examinations in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits and Ranga Reddy while allowing the board to conduct the examination in the rest of the state. The court has ordered the Telangana Education Board to take necessary precautions while conducting the examination in the other districts. However, the state government had decided to put off the exams in the entire state as it will be difficult to set different question papers in different districts.

On May 18, the Telangana High Court gave a green signal for the conduct of the SSC examinations in the State from June 8, but suggested that certain measures have to be initiated by the government. However, in view of the alarming rise in corona cases in Telangana, a petition was filed in the High Court with an appeal to direct the State government to emulate the Punjab grading system. The Punjab government had cancelled the class 10 exams and decided that students will be promoted based on their performance in pre-Board exams.

Earlier in the day, the Telangana High Court pulled the KCR government if the lives of the students were more important than conducting SSC examinations.

Hearing a petition on conducting SSC exams, the High Court asked the AG why the Telangana government cannot explore the possibility of emulating the grading system adopted by Punjab. Further, the High Court had asked the Telangana government to conduct SSC examinations in all the districts barring Hyderabad and Ranga Reddy which have reported a surge of Covid-19 cases over the last one month or so.

To this, the AG informed the High Court that it is nearly impossible to hold the examinations at separate dates in different districts. It will be difficult to set the question papers for different districts. Advocate General B S Prasad argued that the state government had initiated all the necessary steps taken to conduct the SSC exams between June 8 and July 5. The government had procured thermal screening kits, masks and gloves and more than 4,000 medical staff were appointed. To this the High Court had asked the AG if the lives of the students are more important than the technical problems that the government is likely to face in conducting the SSC exams at different dates in different districts.