English medium put off

The state government has postponed its decision to introduce English as a medium of education in government schools for the 2017-18 academic year, according to Deputy Chief Minister and education minister Kadiam Srihari.

The education department has not been able to take any decision as some of the educationists are demanding Telugu medium in primary schools and are opposing English as medium of education, while others want English medium from LKG itself, Srihari said

However, school management committees can introduce English medium if they are willing to, he said, adding that the government will not do so.

We have put on hold the idea of introducing English medium in government schools from 2016-17  as there was no consensus on the issue, said Mr . Srihari. He said some educational experts feel that teaching the students in their mother tongue is important for their all – round growth.

The state government has taken a decision to divide the education into three categories from pre-primary education to 4^th class, 5^th class to Intermediate and Intermediate to higher education.

It is learned that state government is planning to organize a meeting with educational experts soon to take a decision on the issue of English medium. Meanwhile, the state government is making efforts to increase at least 10 percent student’s enrollment in government schools for 2016-17.

The state government is focusing on stabilization of the existing government schools, colleges to provide quality education to the students by providing good facilities in government educational institutions.

It is said that every year, 1 lakh –1.5 lakh students are migrating to private schools from the government schools in the state and efforts are being made to bring at least 50,000 students studying in private schools in government schools this year.

The state government is planning to introduce pre-primary sections in Anganwdis interlinking them to the government schools to improve the enrolment of the students in government schools with the taking admissions of students completed three years. 

Union Budget- 2016: Employees hope for more tax relief

State and Central government employees who got a considerable salary hike recently have pinned hopes on increasing the upper limit up to Rs 6 lakh from the existing Rs 3.5 lakh including Rs 1.5 lakh savings in the Union Budget-2016.

Most of the Central government employees got a good salary hike and they have crossed tax exemption limit. The 10^th pay revision committee recommendations have boosted the salaries of the central government employees.  

Most of the employees are looking forward to Central government’s positive decision of increasing upper limit for income tax exemption.

A state government employee Singaram Udaykumar of Adilabad town said, even a regular attender is getting Rs 25,000 per month in the government departments and will be taxed for crossing Rs 2 lakh upper limit under income tax exemption.

He said the employees are waiting for the hike in income tax exemption for the last three years but disappointed and added that even some of the retired employees are also paying income tax for crossing the exemption limit.

Telangana government led by the TRS has increased salaries to the state to government employees as it promised during the agitation and most of the employees got a good hike in their salaries. Now they are looking for saving options to be within the income tax exemption limit.

Police stations turn coaching centres

Police stations are doubling up into free coaching centres for unemployed youth of interior areas preparing for police constables and sub- inspector posts in the district.

District police are giving free training to the interested youth at a few police stations currently and will be extended soon to all the police stations in the district. Study material prepared by the top police officials will be given free in addition to the giving guidance to the prospective candidates.

District police came out with this decision in the wake of state government’s notification for recruitment of constables and Sub inspectors posts on large numbers.

SP Dr Tarun Joshi asked the police officials to impart training to the interested youth preparing for jobs in the police department. The free coaching was planned as part of people friendly policing and ‘police meekosam’.

It is said that in most of the police station, the recently appointed young sub- inspectors had better understanding about written test and pattern of questions and syllabus for the recruitment of post of police constables and sub- inspectors.

The Utnoor DSP R. Venkateshwarlu (who was recently transferred) has prepared the study material in accordance with the new methodology useful for the candidates prepare for written examination for SI and constable posts.

The material was distributed free to 340 youths from Utnoor division preparing for the posts in the month of July. Police have been conducting such training programs also in Kagaznagar division under the Supervision of DSP Gummi Chakrawarthy. 

Now the same material is being printed in large number of copies to be distributed to the unemployed youth preparing for police constable and sub- inspector posts. At the same time guidance will be given to the candidates preparing for the police recruitment about physical tests and how to get through those tests.

SP Dr Tarun Joshi said the police have been closely associated with people by actively participating in government schemes Haritha Haram, rendering their services to the devotees in Godavari Pushkaralu, Gramajyoti, Mission Kakatiya and Swacch Bharath in the district. He added that they had also adopted some tanks under Mission Kakatiya and villages under Gramajyoti.

Focus will be laid in the written test for police constables and Sub- inspector jobs as state government is seriously considering to scrapping the 5km run as a physical test for police constable and sub-inspector jobs. 

Muslims demand quota

The Muslim Minorities Joint Action committee of Adilabad on Friday demanded that state government lock 12 percent state government jobs in the ongoing recruitments and also to constitute a commission on Backward Classes immediately.

The JAC said that minorities deserved reservations as they lag behind all other communities.

JAC members led by Amir Ali Khan, news editor of Siasat Urdu daily, submitted a memorandum to the minister for Backward Classes welfare Jogu Ramanna, askimg him to constitute a panel to study the socio-economic conditions of the BCs along with Muslim Minorities.

They asked the minister to lock 12 percent jobs so that they are filled with Muslim otherwise they will lose the opportunity, at a time the state government is filling vacancies on large scale.  

Muslim community leaders and leaders of all major political parties later participated in the rally over het issue.

Joint action committee chairman Mohd Gouse and co convenor Dr Shami Uddin,   Sajid Khan of Congress and Sajiduddin of TRS, Younis Akbani of TDP, AAP district convenor Rasheed, Retd employees leaders Sardar Alam and Jamat Ulma Akbar and others were present. The JAC leaders also submitted memorandum to former Minister C. Ramchander Reddy and collector Jagan Mohan on the issue.

State to purchase cotton from Next yr

The state government will purchase cotton produce from the farmers from next year onwards through state agencies Nafed and Markfed to benefit the farmers and to ensure remunerative price as the CCI officials are not doing justice to the farmers and Central government is not extending help to the cotton farmers.

Efforts are being made to this effect by the ministry of Marketing led by T. Harish Rao and the issue was taken up and thoroughly discussed in the wake of farmers were not getting MSP Rs 4,100 announced by the Central government since CCI is not purchasing cotton from the farmers citing high moisture content than the permissible 8-12 percent moisture content percent in the cotton.

This problem arose in major cotton growing districts including Adilabad, Warangal and Karimnagar in the state. 

Minister Jogu Ramanna said the Nafed and Markfed have their own staff and machinery and godowns to start commercial cotton purchases but it was not possible for this year and said certainly they will purchase cotton through Nafed and Markfed to do justice instead depending on central government and CCI.

‘State government is of the opinion to strengthen its own agencies to purchase cotton by next year and they were doing exercise for this’, said Minister and added that so far total 71,798 quintals of cotton and in that CCI has purchased only 453 quintals in this Kharif season in the district.

According to official sources, the CCI has opened 14 cotton purchasing centre but the cotton purchases has taken place only at five centres in the district. Farmers are not selling their cotton to the CCI due to imposing restriction on the percent of   moisture content in the cotton produce.

Efforts to provide corporate medicare for TS staff at govt hospitals

   Minister Jogu Ramanna gets his BP checked at RIMS,Adilabad. 

State government is putting in efforts to provide corporate medical treatment to the government employees and their family members and also pensioners at government hospitals under Employees health scheme (cashless medical treatment) in Telangana state. The health scheme was formally launched at RIMS, Adilabad on Friday.  

Medical treatment will be given to nearly 1,000 ailments out of identified total 1,800 under the scheme at RIMS, Adilabad. The scheme was launched in the respective districts in the state by Ministers. 

As many as 12 super specialty hospitals have refused to provide their services to the patients under this scheme as they were not happy with the fee for medical treatment to various ailments offered under the scheme by the state government.

The government employees and pensioners expressed dissatisfaction over non inclusion 12 super specialty hospitals in the scheme.

Further, they said they were ready to pay their yearly contribution towards the scheme if the super specialty hospitals would be included for providing service under the scheme.

Adilabad RIMS Superintendent Dr A. Ashok said they made special arrangements to treat 25 chronic ailments including cardiac and kidney related problems and added that required medicines for these ailments have been purchased under this scheme and five air condition rooms have been earmarked for the government employees and their family members and pensioners.

He said outpatient services will be provided between 2 pm -4pm even Wednesday and Thursday and added that inpatient services will be launches 15 days later.

Under the scheme, free medical checkup would be done to government employees four times in a year.

CCTVs come handy for police to check parking

The CCTV cameras installed in the towns have come in handy for police department in controlling the haphazard traffic and illegal parking at road side in the towns in the district. As many as 400 CCTV cameras installed at various centre points in Nirmal, Adilabad,Mancherial, Bhainsa and Bellampalli in the Adilabad district of Telangana.

Recently, 75 high resolution CC TV cameras were installed at various locations and also entry and exit points in the Adilabad town and community CCTV controlling room was set up in the traffic police station.

A team comprising ASI and four constables were monitoring the cameras footage  on huge screen connected to the CCTV cameras at the control room round the clock in three shifts. These CCTV cameras record every movement in and around the location where installed.     

SP Dr Tarun Joshi said ‘the police monitoring the control room immediately communicate the information to the mobile or Rakshak parties to handle the situation if notice anything unwanted happening like traffic jams, or bike theft, bike racing chain snatching and accident or any illegally parked vehicle causing blocking the free flow of traffic’.

He said CCTV cameras which have night vision technology and will indirectly give security to one and all including the banks.

State government has realized the importance of the installation of CCTV cameras to control and prevent the crime and traffic jams and to identify the persons moving suspiciously and have supplied CCTVs to all the districts in the state.

Traffic jams have become regular phenomena at Amedkar chowk, Kisan chowk and Gandhi chowk due to illegal parking and pavements encroached upon by the shop owners in the Adilbad town. Petty businessman and road side vendors set up their business in the middle of the roads causing hug traffic jams.

Adilabad Municipal Chairperson Rangineni Manisha said ‘they were preparing an action plan to remove encroachments for free flow of traffic] and avoid inconvenience to the commuters and public in the Adilabad’.              

Stopping of subsidy hit poor

Ambakanti Rajeshwar of Kupti( K)

Stopping supply of subsidy rice to the children under Telangana Food Security Cards (TFSC) by the state government hit the poor families in the district.  Supply of subsidy rice stopped to nearly 3.000 children in May, 2015 in the Adilabad district of Telangana.

Officials concerned have failed to restore the supply of rice to many children even today after stopping subsidy rice to the children even after repeated appeals by card holders.

The state government’s move thrown cold water on the happiness over increased rice quota to each family and revoked restriction on number of family members eligible for the subsidy rice.         

Many FSC holders have been running from pillar to post for long time for restoration of ration to their children. The state government has revoked the restriction on number of family members eligible for Rs 1 kg rice and the quantity increased to 6v kg to each member included in the ration card.

Three months after issuing FSC to BPL families, the civil supply department staff started stopping 6 kg rice to the children without prior information to the families. Card holders ran pillar to post on the issue but nothing has yielded positive. Revenue officials say that they were restoring the names of the children in the list of eligible family members for subsidy rice.

Ambakanti Rajeshwar of Kupti (K) village in Neredigonda said ‘in starting months they got 18 kg subsidized rice each member 6 kg with their Food Security Card issued by the state government but later 6kg rice was stopped to his daughter Rishika,5, who was a family member and her name was included in the card’. ‘The revenue officials have failed to restore the supply of Rs 6 kg rice to her daughter even after many appeals’, he lamented.

Village schemes confused people

  

Most of the villagers, Sarpanches and other elected representatives of local bodies were confused with no much difference between ‘Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika’ launched in the past and now Grama Jyoti schemes introduced by the TRS government in the state.

There is not much difference between the two schemes except the date of launch. The former was launched recent past and the latter would be launched on August17. 

The both the schemes are similar in many of the aspects. There is not much difference between the two programs as far as action plan for the development of the gram panchayats.

Even the officials, who attended meeting on Grama jyoti held in Hyderbad, kept talking, in low voices,that the only difference is telling the people in grampanchayats about their limited funds they get from various central government schemes like 14^th Finance Commission, BRGF, SC and ST sub-plan for the development under Gram jyoti unlike Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika for which funds were assured by state government.

However, officials concerned say that state government wants to be practical with regard to development works to be taken up in gram panchayats and required funds to complete them in the Grama Jyoti unlike ‘Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika’.

A senior officer of district planning dpartment said, ‘the developmental works proposed under Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika are impractical as they are huge in numbers and the works required hundreds of crore.

‘Works relating to CC road, worth Rs 10 crore, were proposed in a village under Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika and providing such a huge funds for roads in a single village was difficult for the government ’.

The officer said the state government is replicating development models of Grampanchayats successful in Kerala and Orissa under Grama Jyoti.

State government is showing the funds to be allotted to the Gram Panchayats under various schemes being implemented by the state and central government.

K. Rajeshwar of Talamadugu opined that it seems that both the ‘Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika’ and Grama Jyoti were similar in many aspects and added that how the state government will go for new works without completing the works proposed under Mana Vooru Mana Pranalika.

‘I do not understand the logic behind announcing many schemes with same model for the development of the grampanchayats’, he said.

Women vital to TS welfare schemes