Telangana Chief Secretary Sanjay Jaju on Monday (October 19, 2026) directed officials to chart micro level contingency plans to prevent drinking water and electricity shortages in view of El Niño effect.

At a video conference held by the top official on Monday (October 19, 2026) on the prevailing conditions due to the weather phenomena and measures being taken in erstwhile districts, officials discussed groundwater levels, levels in reservoirs, electricity generation, alternative options to earn livelihood for people and other subjects.

Although electricity generation in the State has not been encouraging, the government is continuing to supply power for agricultural and domestic requirements. The Chief Secretary said that power cuts were not being imposed on industries and asked management of the units not to worry. Officials were directed to take all necessary measures to ensure maximum electricity generation at all thermal power stations.

Permission only to deepen existing borewells for drinking water

Special Chief Secretary to the government, Jayesh Ranjan said that permission to drill new borewells in Hyderabad should not be granted for construction or other activities. He said that currently, the permission is being granted only to deepen existing borewells exclusively for drinking water requirements. The senior official said that treated water from Sewerage Treatment Plants (STPs) would be supplied to construction sites in the city through dial-a-green water tanker service.

Special Chief Secretary, Vikas Raj said that groundwater levels in Rangareddy district were declining significantly and alternative plans were being implemented to ensure that there would be no shortage of drinking water.

Palair reservoir needs to have 4 thousand million cubic feet (tmcft) of water to provide drinking water to Mahabubabad, Khammam and Suryapet districts until June. However, it now has only 2 tmcft, said Anudeep Durishetty, Special Officer for Khammam district.

Congress MP and the party’s Media Committee chairman Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy has questioned the allegations — pertaining to irregularities in tender allotments and delays in bill payments — made by RVM Constructions in a letter to the Builders Association of India. He claimed that nearly 80% of the bills submitted by the company to the present government had been paid.

Addressing a press conference at Gandhi Bhavan in Hyderabad, Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy said the company, whose owners he identified as Nama Ramesh and Nama Vivek, had alleged that tenders were being awarded to favoured contractors, and bills were not being cleared with demands of commissions.

Countering these allegations, the MP said RVM Constructions had undertaken works worth ₹77.08 crore in Telangana since 2017. After the Congress government assumed office in December 2023, the company had secured only two works — a degree college project worth ₹8.50 crore and the construction of a municipal building at Andole-Jogipet, he said.

According to Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy, the company had submitted bills worth ₹25.10 crore to the present government, of which ₹20.15 crore had been paid, leaving ₹4.95 crore pending. He said the payments made so far accounted for about 80% of the bills submitted by the company.

Questioning the complaint’s timing and intent, the MP alleged that the company was trying to discredit the Congress government despite receiving a substantial portion of its dues. He also sought to draw attention to the political links of its owners, referring to Nama Ramesh, whose family name is associated with a former MP from Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS).

He maintained that the government’s payment record to RVM Constructions contradicted the contractors’ allegation. ‘Isn’t it a ploy to discredit the government?” he asked.

The MP also accused the previous BRS government of mismanaging the Kaleshwaram irrigation project and prioritising the interests of former Chief Minister K. Chandrashekar Rao and his family over the water needs of farmers across Telangana.

He alleged that the Konda Pochamma Sagar project was designed to benefit KCR’s farmhouse in Erravelli rather than meet the irrigation needs of farmers across Telangana. He alleged that a 58-acre waterbody, identified as Panduranga Cheruvu, had come up adjacent to KCR’s farmhouse from 2017 onwards and that water was available in it throughout the year. The water reached a three-acre well located within the farmhouse, raising questions about the utilisation of irrigation infrastructure and public resources.

Mr. Kiran Kumar Reddy also claimed that ₹42.54 crore of public money had been spent on installing a drip irrigation system at the former Chief Minister’s farmhouse with a 100% subsidy. He questioned the justification for extending such benefits to a political leader while farmers across the State continued to face irrigation-related difficulties.

The Telangana government is developing an exclusive 200-acre drone park to build a complete ecosystem for the drone industry. “We will also introduce a drone policy, as some form of regulation is necessary,” said D. Sridhar Babu, Minister for Information Technology, Electronics and Communications, and Industries and Commerce, Telangana. He indicated that the policy would be doled out soon.

Making a pitch about the opportunities in his state at the Chennai Roadshow of the Invest Telangana Global Summit 2026, organised along with Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), the Minister said: “We have not come to Chennai to compete with Tamil Nadu. Tamil Nadu has its strengths, and they are formidable. Telangana has its own. We have come with humility, to ask you to be part of our journey.”

The Minister highlighted Hyderabad’s rise as a global technology hub and home to a fast-growing community of Global Capability Centres, Genome Valley’s production of a third of the world’s vaccines, the state’s aerospace manufacturing base and T-Hub, one of India’s largest startup ecosystems.

Setting out the case for partnership, he pointed to opportunities for Coimbatore pump makers to set up second plants in Telangana to serve central and northern India, for Tiruppur knitwear entrepreneurs to work with Telangana cotton in Warangal, and for Chennai auto component suppliers to build EV electronics with Hyderabad’s engineers. “When Tamil Nadu and Telangana work together, South India grows stronger. And when South India grows stronger, India moves forward,” he said.

The Invest Telangana Global Summit 2026 will be held from December 7 to 9, 2026 at Bharat Future City, Hyderabad.

A two-week crackdown stretching across southern India has led the Telangana Cyber Security Bureau (TGCSB) to 101 people, from homemakers and drivers to graduates, businessmen and private employees, whose accounts or roles were linked to cyber fraud networks involving transactions of about ₹17 crore.

The operation, which began on September 23, covered Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana and Puducherry. More than 100 TGCSB personnel were split into six special teams for the coordinated action. Among those arrested were 18 women.

What emerged from the exercise was the breadth of the ecosystem supporting cyber fraud. Of the 101 arrested, 19 were identified as agents and 81 as mule account holders. Investigators found that bank accounts were being procured through agents and intermediaries and then used to receive, move and withdraw proceeds of fraud through ATM withdrawals, bulk transfers and overseas-linked transactions.

TGCSB Director Shikha Goel said that account holders and intermediaries were paid commissions of up to 5% of the money routed through them.

Homemakers, businesspersons to graduates

The profile of those caught also showed that mule accounts were not confined to any single social or professional group. About 82% of the accused were aged between 20 and 50, while 17% were above 50. Businessmen and self-employed persons formed the largest occupational group at 23%, followed by private employees at 13%, homemakers at 10%, drivers and operators at 7%, and those working in sales and marketing at 5%.

Educational backgrounds were equally varied; 26% had studied up to Intermediate, 24% were graduates, 16% had secondary education and 11% were uneducated. Others included diploma and ITI holders, postgraduates and people with professional qualifications such as B.Tech and Nursing.

The Bureau said some of those identified during the operation had links to dozens of cybercrime cases across the country. They included an employee of Tata Capital who allegedly facilitated mule accounts for commission, an ex-serviceman linked to six cases and a person with a Diploma in Film Technology linked to 26 cases.

A businessman with an M.Com qualification was linked to 34 cybercrime complaints, while a Flipkart employee whose bank account was allegedly made available for fraudulent transactions was linked to 50 cases. Investigators also found trust accounts opened in the names of NGOs that were allegedly used to receive and transfer cybercrime proceeds, with links to 60 cases across India.

1,172 crime links traced across India

The arrests relate to 51 cases registered across the seven TGCSB Cyber Crime Police Stations. Investigators have so far traced 1,172 crime links across the country, including 206 connected to Telangana. Fifty of those arrested have more than five crime links each across India.

Kerala accounted for the largest number of arrests at 35, followed by Andhra Pradesh with 22, Karnataka with 17, Tamil Nadu with 14, Telangana with 12 and Puducherry with one.

TGCSB said further investigation was under way to identify additional crime links, interstate connections and possible international networks associated with the operation.

The monsoon session of Telangana Assembly began on a turbulent note with Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) MLAs refused entry into the Assembly for wearing black t-shirts carrying the slogan ‘Congress failed to deliver promises in 1000 days’. And, inside the Assembly, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators led the protests forcing the Speaker to adjourn it for 15 minutes without taking up any business.

The drama prevailed outside the Assembly when the BRS MLAs were prevented from entering the Assembly premises by the police objecting to the content on the T-shirts. Arguments ensued with the police preventing them and the BRS MLAs physically pushing away the police for stopping them.

BRS working president K.T. Rama Rao, BRSLP deputy leader T. Harish Rao, MLAs Kaushik Reddy, Pochampalli Srinivas Reddy and former Minister G. Jagadish Reddy among others were seen arguing with the police. They were detained and shifted to Telangana Bhavan.

The BRS claimed that KTR and Mr. Jagadish Reddy sustained minor injuries. Former Ministers and BRS women MLAs Sunitha Reddy and Sabitha Indra Reddy claimed that they were ill-treated by the police. Ms. Sunitha Reddy was in tears for the way the police treated them claiming that they were pulled by hair.

After the police refused to allow them into the premises, Mr. Harish Rao removed his T-shirt. Later, some BRS MLAs staged a protest at the Assembly lobby entrance against the alleged police high-handedness.

Earlier, BRS legislators paid tributes to Telangana martyrs at the Gun Park. Speaking to the media there, KTR said the party would raise issue of lands under prohibited properties list under the Section 22A of Registration Act and the unpaid fee reimbursement dues.

The Telangana government has merged the Food Safety Department and the Drugs Control Administration (DCA) under a unified administrative structure called the Telangana Standards Authority for Food and Essential Drugs (TG SAFE), bringing food and drug regulation in the State under a single administrative authority.

The government has appointed 2005-batch IPS officer Avinash Mohanty, who was serving as Director General of the DCA, as Commissioner of TG SAFE, in addition to his existing duties. He has also been notified as Commissioner of Food Safety for Telangana.

Unified administrative framework

The merger order was issued by Health Secretary Christina Z. Chongthu. According to the order, the move has been prompted by the increasing number of licensed food business operators in the State and the need to strengthen compliance and enforcement under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, with the objective of preventing unsafe, spurious and substandard food and drugs.

The government said the two departments have common objectives relating to public health, consumer safety, quality assurance and regulatory enforcement. A unified administrative framework will help improve surveillance, intelligence gathering, enforcement, legal support and overall regulatory outcomes.

However, the merger is administrative in nature and does not dilute the statutory powers of the two departments. Authorities and officers under the Food Safety and Standards Act and the Drugs and Cosmetics Act will continue to exercise their respective statutory powers independently under the relevant laws and rules.

TG SAFE will function through six wings, namely, Drug Administration, Food Safety, Enforcement, Legal and Prosecution, Laboratory and Administration. The government has decided to initially operationalise the unified system in the CURE region, citing the high concentration of food business operators and drug establishments in the area.

During the initial phase, the Food Safety Department and DCA will work through common administrative, enforcement, legal, laboratory, intelligence and data-analysis mechanisms.

The government has also made provisions for the implementation of TG SAFE and permitted vacant sanctioned posts to be filled through deputation, contract or outsourcing in accordance with prescribed procedures. Alongside the merger, the government has ordered the constitution of a State-level committee to review the modernisation of the Food Safety and Drugs Control administration.

The committee will undertake a comprehensive assessment of the unified authority and examine issues such as harmonisation of service rules, optimal cadre strength for statutory duties, testing and legal support, intelligence and data-analysis systems, and infrastructure upgrades for field units and laboratories. It will also examine the scope for establishing a technology-enabled regulatory framework in line with national and global best practices.

The committee will also assess the outcomes and gains from the implementation of TG SAFE in the CURE region. Its recommendations will form the basis for a final decision on establishing a unified Food and Drug Department across Telangana, which is to be submitted within the prescribed timelines.

Telangana Government would launch the distribution of 1.05 crore laminated Public Distribution System Ration Cards on August 15, 2026, on the occasion of Independence Day. Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy would formally commence the distribution in Sangareddy. It will be simultaneously rolled out in 119 Assembly constituencies. 

The ratio cards that people now hold have names and a family photo of a beneficiary. It was learnt that the new card will have a number and barcode, which can be used to fetch details of the beneficiaries online. It will be the size of debit cards, which would fit into cardholders or wallets. 

Civil Supplies Minister N. Uttam Kumar Reddy directed officers concerned to finalize and verify constituency-wise list of beneficiaries, make arrangements for registration, verification and orderly distribution to beneficiaries. 

Mr. Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the commencement marks ‘one of the most significant welfare initiatives of Government of Telangana aimed at strengthening food security and extending benefits of Public Distribution System to all newly eligible families”. 

Currently, food grains quota for three months (August, September and October) are being distributed at ration shops.  

The Warangal district administration has launched an exercise to demarcate lands under the control of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the Telangana Department of Heritage (formerly Department of Archaeology & Museums) in a bid to strengthen protection of archaeological monuments and prevent encroachments.

District Collector Satya Sharada has directed officials to identify and demarcate the boundaries of all protected sites and prepare comprehensive maps to facilitate their effective safeguarding.

Chairing a meeting with officials of the ASI, the Department of Heritage, the Revenue Department, and the Survey and Land Records Department on Wednesday (July 29, 2026), she said the exercise would help establish the exact extent of protected lands and prevent unauthorised occupation.

The Collector instructed officials to complete the demarcation process at the earliest and take all necessary steps to safeguard the district’s archaeological heritage.

The initiative reportedly follows a recent communication from Telangana Department of Heritage’s Director K. Arjun Rao to all district Collectors, urging them to expedite the transfer of lands attached to protected monuments from the Revenue and other departments to the Department of Heritage wherever such alienation has not been completed.

According to officials, although several temples and heritage structures were declared protected monuments decades ago by the ASI and the State archaeology department, the lands attached to many of them were never formally transferred to the heritage department. Officials said these administrative lapses have left several sites vulnerable to encroachments and disputes over ownership.

Protected monuments lands encroached

Sources said lands attached to the protected monuments in the erstwhile Warangal district was allegedly encroached upon. In some cases, individuals are also reported to have obtained pattas for lands belonging to protected monuments, raising concerns among heritage officials and conservationists. The exercise is expected to be taken up in all districts to establish clear ownership records and strengthen legal protection for archaeological sites.

32 protected monuments in erstwhile Warangal

Warangal, the former capital of the Kakatiya dynasty, possesses one of Telangana’s richest concentrations of medieval monuments. The erstwhile Warangal district has 32 monuments protected by the Telangana Department of Heritage. It is also home to three major ASI-protected monuments, Warangal Fort in Warangal, the Thousand Pillar Temple at Hanumakonda and the Ramappa Temple, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In a significant development that could have wider implications for the functioning of the Hyderabad Disaster Response and Asset Protection Agency (HYDRAA), the Telangana High Court on Monday (July 27, 2026) directed the Chief Secretary to relieve IPS officer A.V. Ranganath from his post as HYDRAA Commissioner and appoint a suitable replacement.

The direction came from Justice Anil Kumar Jukanti while hearing a batch of contempt cases arising out of allegations that HYDRAA officials violated court orders during an operation at a disputed land parcel in Lothkunta.

At the heart of the controversy is a 40 acre property claimed by M/s Shanta Sriram Constructions Private Limited. The company alleged that HYDRAA officials entered the land in July with nearly 50 vehicles and around 200 personnel. According to the petitioner, the officials damaged containers, chairs, tables and other office infrastructure while demolishing tin sheet structures on the premises, asserting that the land belonged to the government.

The dispute has witnessed a series of dramatic judicial interventions over the past week. On July 23, the High Court ordered the deployment of armed forces to protect the 40 acre property. However, the order was subsequently kept in abeyance until July 24 after Advocate General A. Sudarshan Reddy informed the court that the government would file an affidavit stating that HYDRAA officials had not entered the private land.

The matter took a sharper turn on July 24 when the court directed Mr. Ranganath to submit an affidavit containing an apology and an explanation regarding his alleged interference in the land dispute. Although the affidavit was filed, Justice Jukanti nevertheless proceeded to direct the Chief Secretary to relieve the officer from the HYDRAA Commissioner post.

For the State government, the challenge now extends beyond appointing a new HYDRAA Commissioner. The episode highlights the need for greater institutional safeguards, transparency in enforcement actions and strict adherence to judicial orders to prevent similar controversies in the future.

The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) working president K.T. Rama Rao advised Prime Minister Narendra Modi to recognise the changing voice of the youth and not to underestimate the power of the youngsters as they were not afraid of CBI or ED.

Referring to the ongoing protests across the country, he alleged that the anger among students extended beyond the examination paper leak issue and reflected frustration over unemployment and unfulfilled promises made by the Centre.

KTR made these observations at a protest at Indira Park in Hyderabad, organised in solidarity with students and youth protesting against the alleged police crackdown on demonstrators in New Delhi over the examination paper leak issue.

He also questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on the examination paper leak controversy, asking why the government was unwilling to discuss the issue despite repeatedly speaking about education and examinations. He said the Centre should engage with students and resolve their grievances rather than branding protesters as anti-national or resorting to police action.

Demands

Condemning the police action against students in Delhi, he demanded the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, withdrawal of criminal cases registered against protesting students and an apology from the Centre for the alleged excesses. “The youth is not afraid of CBI or ED that are used by the Government to threaten others,” he remarked.

KTR also criticised the BJP government’s employment record, alleging that the promise of creating two crore jobs annually had remained unfulfilled. Accusing the Centre of failing to ensure transparency in competitive examinations, he said students were demanding accountability and reforms in the education system. “Promising ‘Make in India’, this government had delivered ‘Leak in India’,” he said in a sarcastic tone.

Criticising the Telangana government, the BRS working president accused Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy of attempting to obstruct the BRS from raising the issue. He questioned why the State government was allegedly targeting the BRS instead of joining other Opposition parties in demanding accountability from the Centre.

Mr. Rao said Mr. Reddy did not even join the protests of his [Congress] leader Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi indicating where his loyalties existed.

He asserted that the BRS, which had led the Telangana Statehood movement, would continue to stand by students and youth whenever their rights were threatened. He also said BRS president K. Chandrashekar Rao was closely monitoring developments and would continue to support issues concerning students and young people.