Centre to clear northern RRR works this month, says minister Venkat Reddy
Roads & Buildings Minister Komatireddy Venkat Reddy on Thursday said that this information was conveyed to him by the Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari.
Venkat Reddy was addressing the first meeting of the Task Force Committee, which was formed to fast-track the stalled National Highways Projects in the state, at the Secretariat.
The minister expressed hope that the works on the RRR project would start within the next few months. 'The land acquisition process is nearing completion. Hopefully, we will be able to commence project works at the earliest.'
Stating that the Congress government's priority is development and not politics, he revealed his plan to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi soon to push for speedy approvals of key infrastructure projects.
The meeting addressed critical project-specific issues in the Warangal-Khammam NH-163G, Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Greenfield Corridor and Kalwakurthy-Srisailam elevated corridor.
The minister, meanwhile, assured officials that he would intervene with relevant departments, including discussions with Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy, to push for swift approvals of pending NoCs.
Later during an informal chat with reporters, Venkat Reddy said that the government would invite tenders for construction of roads in the state under Hybrid Annuity Model (HAM) mode.
'We are contemplating completing these roads within the next three years. Under Phase 1, the government will spend Rs 6,000 crore,' he said.
The minister also said that the government will inaugurate TIMS, Sanathnagar by October. He also expressed confidence that the Centre will sanction a greenfield highway between the proposed Future City and Vijayawada.
When asked about the ongoing film workers' strike, Venkat Reddy, who also holds the cinematography portfolio, said that he will hold a meeting with industry representatives on Friday and try to resolve the issue.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
12 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Centre lists ‘ineligible' ration card holders, asks states to remove them
THE CENTRAL government has for the first time prepared a list of ration card holders who may not qualify for benefits such as free food grains since they are either taxpayers, owners of four-wheelers or even directors in companies. The Centre's Department of Food and Public Distribution has arrived at such a list by matching the details of ration card holders with databases of government entities such as the Income-Tax department (taxpayers), Ministry of Corporate Affairs (directors) and Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (four-wheeler owners). The officials said these ration card holders — about 1.17 crore — may not qualify for free food grains under the National Food Security Act (NFSA). Having arrived at this list, it has now directed states to undertake necessary field verification and remove the ineligible ration card holders by September 30. Responding to a query from The Indian Express, an official from the Department of Food and Public Distribution said the Centre 'has helped states by providing this data to identify and remove ineligible beneficiaries so that genuine people in the waiting list can avail the scheme'. The review of ration cards/ beneficiaries list, identification of ineligible/ duplicate ration cards and inclusion of eligible beneficiaries/ households is the responsibility of states, he said. The NFSA dashboard shows that 19.17 crore ration cards have been issued as on August 19, with total beneficiaries across 36 states and Union Territories totalling 76.10 crore. As per rules, all government employees, households with annual income of Rs 1 lakh or more, four-wheeler owners, and taxpayers are ineligible to get free foodgrains. In a letter to Chief Secretaries of all states and Advisors to the UT Administrators, Union Food Secretary Sanjeev Chopra reiterated the government's earlier instructions about discrepancies identified in the Ration Card Management System (RCMS) database. 'These discrepancies were related to beneficiaries who were either duplicate, deceased, or inactive (silent beneficiaires) and State/UTs were accordingly advised to undertake identification and field verification of such beneficiaries,' he wrote in the letter sent to states on July 8, 2025. 'In continuation of this initiative, the Department has undertaken a comprehensive exercise to further strengthen rightful targeting by matching RCMS data with databases of various Government of India entities including the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT), Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC), Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA), Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH), and PM-Kisan,' Chopra wrote. 'Based on this inter-ministerial data convergence, the Department has identified a set of beneficiaries who appear in one or more of the above databases and may not qualify as per eligibility norms prescribed by respective States/UTs. These lists will be shared with all States/UTs via API-based integration and will be visible to State officials through the Rightful Targeting Dashboard developed by the Department,' he wrote. 'As you are aware, the responsibility for identification of beneficiaries rests with the State Government. You are, therefore, requested to kindly undertake necessary field verification of such flagged cases and initiate appropriate action for data cleansing, wherever ineligibility is established. This exercise is critical to ensure that the resources under TPDS are directed only towards the eligible households,' said Food Secretary Chopra. 'I am sure that you will appreciate that cleansing the database of ineligible beneficiaries will enable any left-out deserving individuals and families to be included in the system, thus reinforcing the equity and integrity of the Public Distribution System,' he said. 'It is requested that the above exercise be completed expeditiously and latest by 30th September 2025,' Chopra said in the report. In July, the Centre had informed Rajya Sabha that as many as 1.34 crore 'bogus/ ineligible' ration cards had been deleted/ cancelled during 2021-2023. The NFSA, introduced by the then UPA government with effect from July 5, 2013, entitles 67 per cent of households—50 per cent urban and 75 per cent rural— to receive food grains at a subsidised price (rice Rs 3/kg, wheat Rs 2/kg) under the Targeted Public Distribution System (TPDS). In absolute terms, the maximum number of people, which can be covered by the NFSA across the country is about 81.35 crore. However, the NDA government has waived the subsidised prices under its Pradhan Mantri Garib Kalyan Anna Yojana, providing free food grains.
Time of India
28 minutes ago
- Time of India
Cabinet okays bill that seeks to ban ‘online money game'
NEW DELHI: Cabinet on Tuesday approved a bill that seeks to ban "online money game", where users pay a fee or deposit money, proposing a maximum three years in jail or fine of up to Rs 1 crore for those involved in offering, encouraging or inducing players to participate, which also extends to banks facilitating these transactions. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now At the same time, Promotion and Regulation of Online Gaming Bill, which will be introduced in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, seeks to promote e-sports and online social games where no money is involved. A regulator body is planned to oversee the functioning of the sector, sources told TOI. The proposed legislation defines "online money game" as an online game played by a user by paying fees, depositing money or other stakes in expectation of winning. 2 years' jail, ₹50L fine likely for those advertising online games Online social games have been defined as those that don't involve exchange of money, although users may be allowed to pay a subscription or one-time access fee. Govt has proposed the new law considering unregulated online money gaming platforms pose threats to national and economic security as they use digital wallets and cryptocurrencies for money laundering and illicit money transfer, cross-border data flows without compliance of data protection law, sources said. Moreover, offshore entities are seen to be circumventing tax and legal obligations. The proposed legislation also assumes significance as online money gaming poses serious concerns, including addiction among children and youth, mental health issues, financial losses leading to suicides and lack of uniform regulation across states. Law enforcing agencies face problems in tracking and regulating these platforms, particularly those hosted or operated from outside India. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Sources said the govt proposes penalties of up to two years in jail or with a maximum fine of Rs 50 lakh or both for any entity advertising such games in media. For those offering online money games and banks engaged in transactions face violations of the proposed law will be "cognisable and non-bailable" offences. Every subsequent violation after conviction would attract penalties of at least three years' jail and fine of Rs 10-20 lakh. In the case of advertisers, such penalties would be 2-3 years in jail and fine of Rs 5-10 lakh. The bill proposes to hold senior executives of the companies liable, if it's established that the offences have been committed with the consent or connivance or due to their neglect. It also proposes blocking of platforms and money gaming services, if the entities or individuals fail to comply with the law. According to the proposal, the bill seeks to encourage Indian startups to build culturally relevant content, reduce dependence on foreign platforms and promote self-reliance in the digital gaming ecosystem.
The Print
42 minutes ago
- The Print
A Sena minister & a Maratha family that ‘sided with colonial powers'—the Rs 5,000 crore CIDCO land ‘scam'
The plot in Navi Mumbai is currently valued at Rs 5,000 crore and it was reserved for housing for the poor but Shirsat allegedly gave away this land parcel to the Bivalkar family, according to the NCP (SP) MLA. Rohit Pawar of Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) has accused him of bypassing the rules and handing about 15 acre of land of the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) to the heirs of a Bivalkar family, who have been holding this land parcel for over two centuries. Mumbai: Controversial minister Sanjay Shirsat from the Shiv Sena has once again found himself at the centre of a controversy in Maharashtra, this time battling allegations of a land 'scam'. The land parcel is under litigation for years, as the Bombay High Court in 2014 had accepted the ownership of Bivalkar family and directed the CIDCO to furnish the compensation, only to have the decision stayed in the Supreme Court. The Maharashtra government-owned CIDCO is known as a premier town planning and development agency. Shirsat became the CIDCO chairman in 2024. Originally from Ratnagiri and now settled in Pune, the Bivalkar family is said to have been given around 4,000 acres of land in Kolaba (now Raigad) by Raghuji Angre, who controlled the erstwhile state of Kolaba, in 1816 in lieu of its services. The family, according to Pawar, received the land parcel for helping the British against the Maratha empire. 'The family tried to get the land allotted to them but despite repeated attempts, the family's claims were rejected. Yet, Shirsat Saheb, ignoring all norms, handed over 15 acres back to them,' Pawar told the media. 'The rightful share of the poor has been gifted to the heirs of those who once sided with colonial powers. We demand that this land, which is illegally being given to the family, should be taken back by the government and also request the government to take the resignation of Shirsat.' Last month, the social justice minister was earlier in the news after a widely-shared video showed him purportedly sitting on a bed and smoking while a bag full of currency lies near him. ThePrint reached Shirsat for comment via phone calls. This report will be updated if and when a response is received. CIDCO PRO Priya Ratambe refused to comment on the allegations brought against CIDCO and the minister. Also Read: Malegaon ruling, 'Sanatani terror'—Mahayuti, MVA draw battlelines in Maharashtra The legal quagmire Yashwant Bivalkar, who dragged the CIDCO to the court over compensation for a 157-acre parcel, had petitioned that his great-great-grandfather was a minister in Angre's state, which came to prominence when its then ruler Kanhoji Angre led the Maratha navy against the Europeans in the 1700s. Kolaba was annexed by the British in 1840, but the land stayed with the Bivalkars even post-Independence. In fact, it held the properties even after the Bombay Personal Inam Abolition Act was enacted 1 August 1953. Later, according to an agreement dated 21 January 1959, and gazette on 21 October 1959, between the Colaba collector and the Bivalkars under the Indian Forest Act, the management of 'private forest lands' was handed over to the forest department, as 'reserved forest', on certain terms and conditions. The ownership was never divested even then. In 1960, the Bivalkars saved their property by bringing their property under the ambit of the Bombay Court of Wards Act. On 3 February 1970, a notification was brought out under the Land Acquisition Act, announcing that land is likely to be needed for the planned development and utilisation of the land in the trans harbour, Panvel and trans Thane Creek area for industrial, commercial and residential purposes. Three years on, the Maharashtra government directed that the land cease to be 'protected forest' from the date of the notification, facilitating its transfer to the CIDCO for the planned development of the area. For this purpose, about 150 acres of land was to be used. In 1985, the Bivalkars contended that they should get compensation under the Land Acquisition Act and not the Forest Act. Four years later, their ownership was upheld, but compensation was granted under the Forest Act for 157 acre of land. Yashwant's mother Indirabai Bivalkar challenged the order in the Bombay High Court seeking compensation under the Land Acquisition Act. Since then the land is entangled in legal matters. According to the HC, the Bivalkar family's ownership was not questioned till 2010. On 17 September 2010, the CIDCO filed a petition to hold and declare that Bivalkars are not the owners and that the property was finally vested with the government and transferred to the CIDCO. In turn, the HC acknowledged the government's standing that the Bivalkars were the land owners and their proprietary rights till the year 2014. It also ordered the CIDCO to pay compensation but also did not stop the land from being used for Navi Mumbai International Airport, as required by CIDCO, the nodal agency of implementing the airport project. The CIDCO challenged the order in the Supreme Court in 2015, and the apex court has given a stay on the HC order. What oppn MLA says According to Rohit Pawar, since 1990, the Bivalkars have approached CIDCO multiple times to get the allotment of land under the 12.5 percent scheme brought in by then CM Sharad Pawar and local leader late for development of land for the sons of soil. Under this scheme implemented in 1994, the CIDCO allocates 12.5 percent of developed land to project affected persons (PAPs) in lieu of their acquired land. But, the CIDCO is said to have rejected their applications on the grounds that they are not the cultivators of the land. The latest request was made in 2023, which was again rejected citing that the issue is subjudice, according to a copy of the letter from CIDCO seen by ThePrint. But in 2024, through the urban development department, the CIDCO was asked to give away plots to the family, Pawar alleged. When Shirsat became the CIDCO chairman in September 2024, he allotted the land measuring about 15 acre worth Rs 5,000 crore to the family just about a month before the Model Code of Conduct kicked in, he further alleged. This land is for the poor people and on that land, about 8,000-10,000 houses could have been built for the locals, he said, while announcing a protest at the CIDCO office in Navi Mumbai on Wednesday. (Edited by Tony Rai) Also Read: Hindi imposition, English preference, Maharashtra's Marathi schools are vanishing amid a language war
