Telangana Cabinet Approves Two Pending DAs for Government Employees

The Telangana government has announced relief for state government employees and pensioners, with the Cabinet deciding to sanction two pending Dearness Allowance (DA) installments from 2024. The decision was taken at a Cabinet meeting chaired by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. Along with DA for employees, Dearness Relief (DR) will also be granted to pensioners. The government has decided to clear the DA arrears in installments. The move comes in line with assurances given during recent discussions with employee associations and is expected to impose an additional annual financial burden of around Rs 2,500 crore on the state exchequer.

The Cabinet meeting, held at the Dr BR Ambedkar Telangana State Secretariat, also reviewed the state's rainfall situation and the impact of El Nino conditions. Ministers noted that Telangana had recorded around a 17 per cent rainfall deficit during the current monsoon season. By the end of the season, nearly 235 mandals were facing severe drought-like conditions. The Cabinet decided that a ministerial sub-committee would examine the situation in detail and recommend immediate measures for drought-hit areas.

Chief Minister Revanth Reddy directed officials to convene an all-party meeting on the drought situation. Consultations will also be held with farmer organisations and experts from different sectors to gather suggestions. The Cabinet decided to urge the Centre to declare drought-affected mandals in Telangana and provide appropriate financial and other assistance. A team of ministers is expected to travel to Delhi to meet Union ministers and explain the state's situation.

The Cabinet also directed officials to complete preparations for Kharif paddy procurement without delay and open procurement centres soon. The Civil Supplies Department has estimated that around 65 lakh metric tonnes of paddy will have to be procured during the season. Officials were instructed to ensure adequate arrangements so that procurement proceeds smoothly.

Rising power consumption was another key issue discussed. Peak electricity demand reached a record 19,892 MW, compared with 16,613 MW last year. The Cabinet directed officials to ensure uninterrupted power supply and procure additional electricity wherever necessary. It also approved new power-generation projects totalling 7,800 MW, comprising 3,000 MW of solar power, 4,000 MW of battery energy storage and 800 MW of wind power.

The Cabinet further decided to accelerate the Integrated Fruit Market at Koheda in Rangareddy district and develop it entirely with government funds. It approved discontinuing 10 EPC irrigation projects that remained incomplete as part of a review of long-pending projects.

A dedicated digital media advertising policy was also approved, based on the Centre's Digital Advertisement Policy. The Cabinet additionally approved the appointment of a Deputy Commissioner and four Group-I officers at the Telangana Bhavan Resident Commissioner's Office in New Delhi. Ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Ponnam Prabhakar and Adluri Laxman Kumar briefed the media on the Cabinet decisions.