Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has said the Congress government was working with the objective of providing fine-quality rice to the poor and ensuring that no poor family went hungry.

Telangana has around 1.15 crore families, of which 1,06,28,092 families have ration cards. The government is providing six kg of fine-quality rice per person every month to 3,42,57,109 beneficiaries through the ration cards, he said at a programme organised in Khammam on Saturday to distribute Digital Smart Ration Cards on the occasion of Independence Day.

He claimed that no other State was implementing such a massive programme. People had faced difficulties in obtaining ration cards during the previous BRS regime, and fine-quality rice was not distributed then, he said.

Mr. Vikramarka said the Congress government under the leadership of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had sanctioned new ration cards to every eligible poor family in the State.

In Khammam district, 62,158 new ration cards had been sanctioned in addition to the existing 4,73,275 ration cards.

He also highlighted various other flagship welfare schemes of the Congress government – including free travel for women on TGSRTC buses, free electricity up to 200 units for poor families and enhancement of Rajiv Aarogyasri scheme coverage from ₹5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Monday said the State government would complete the J. Chokka Rao Devadula Lift Irrigation Scheme on a war footing by clearing all pending bills, and by expediting the remaining works.

Mr. Vikramarka, accompanied by Irrigation Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy and Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy, visited the project and reviewed its progress with senior officials in Kannaigudem mandal of Mulugu district. The Ministers also inspected pumping facilities, water storage conditions, and ongoing works at various components of the scheme in Mulugu district.

Addressing the media after the review, Mr. Vikramarka criticised the previous BRS government over the condition of the Kaleshwaram project barrages. Referring to the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Project (KLIP), he said that the National Dam Safety Authority (NDSA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC) had advised against storing water in the structures until repair works were completed.

Mr. Vikramarka said the government was taking precautionary measures in view of the possibility of deficient rainfall and El Nino conditions. As part of this strategy, efforts were being made to fill all 22 reservoirs linked to the Devadula project and maximise utilisation of Godavari waters.

Of the ₹146 crore sanctioned, ₹58 crore has been earmarked for land acquisition, ₹74 crore for pending project works and ₹ 14 crore for maintenance activities. He said there would be no shortage of funds for the project and assured that all pending issues, including land acquisition and technical bottlenecks, would be addressed expeditiously.

The Deputy Chief Minister said the government aimed to fully utilise the project’s designed capacity of 38.16 TMC and provide irrigation water to the entire ayacut. He added that all 10 pumps in the Devadula system would be made operational to ensure uninterrupted supply of irrigation and drinking water to nearly 12 districts in the Godavari basin.

Mr. Vikramarka emphasised that the Devadula and Sita Rama Lift Irrigation projects would be completed on a war footing with the objective of providing a dependable water source to farmers in the erstwhile Warangal and Khammam districts.

Irrigation Minister Uttam Kumar Reddy described the Devadula project as a top priority project for the government. He said a comprehensive review was conducted on land acquisition, pending works, pumping capacity and reservoir filling, and instructions were issued to ensure that all 10 pumps become fully operational within the next few days.

He added that water was already being pumped into reservoirs at different stages and that efforts were under way to ensure all 22 reservoirs were filled to capacity.

Revenue Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy noted that the scheme has the capacity to provide irrigation to about 6.14 lakh acres, with a majority of the ayacut located in the erstwhile Warangal region.