I&PR Minister laments that govt. could not effectively communicate spree of welfare schemes to the people
The BRS indulged in hoodwinking the people through false propaganda during its 10-year rule and was continuing the same as the main Opposition party in the State. 'Our government is unable to explain to the people about the host of welfare schemes launched in the interests of poor and lower classes,' he said.
The Minister made the remarks during a video conference with the district public relations officers on Tuesday. He recalled how the Indiramma government headed by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy took several initiatives to fulfil the promises ahead of the previous elections as well as schemes that did not find a mention in the party's election manifesto, but was not able to communicate the achievements effectively to the people.
In addition to a slew of welfare schemes like free bus travel to women, LPG cylinder at subsidised price of ₹500, farm loan waiver, Rythu Bharosa and others, the government successfully filled 60,000 vacancies in different departments making Telangana the first State to make such massive recruitments. 'Unlike the previous government which mislead the people through Goebbels' propaganda in its 10-year rule, the Congress government implemented spree of welfare schemes in one-and-a-half years of its rule,' he said.
He cited the distribution of new ration cards to seven lakh families in addition to including names of 15 lakh members in ration cards. The Bhu Bharati Act was enacted to mitigate the hardships faced by farmers in securing rights on their lands. The government had implemented these schemes in spite of the financial constraints it faced ever since it took over the reins.
Mr. Srinivas Reddy directed the I&PR officials to take the schemes to the people as it was their responsibility to effectively communicate the government's welfare-centric schemes.
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an hour ago
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Moreover, the report uses population-weighted averages based on data from urban monitoring stations, which may not represent the true national average," the minister said. 'In view of these limitations and uncertainties in the data, the ranking of cities and countries may not portray the true picture and could be misleading," Singh added. Responding to another part of the question on whether air pollution is causing deaths and impacting people's health across the country, the minister said there is no conclusive data available to establish a direct correlation between air pollution and deaths. 'Air pollution is one of many contributing factors that can affect respiratory ailments and related diseases," Singh said. 'Health is determined by several variables, including food habits, occupational exposure, socio-economic conditions, medical history, immunity, heredity and environmental factors." He added that while air pollution is certainly a concern, isolating it as the sole cause of mortality is not scientifically accurate. Tiwari also asked whether a substantial portion of the Environmental Protection Charge (EPC) and Environmental Compensation (EC) funds remained unutilised. The minister confirmed that large amounts of these funds were yet to be spent, partly due to judicial directions. 'As of now, a total of Rs 620.6 crore has been accrued in the Environmental Compensation account, including Rs 99.51 crore in bank interest. Out of this, Rs 80.82 crore has been utilised and Rs 138.38 crore has been committed to 24 sanctioned projects and ongoing activities," Singh informed the House. He said the remaining balance of Rs 401.4 crore includes Rs 284.18 crore held in sub-judice accounts, including Rs 184.18 crore maintained in 23 specific-purpose accounts and Rs 100 crore kept in fixed deposit, as per the direction of the National Green Tribunal (NGT). At present, Rs 117.22 crore is available for utilisation, but the disbursement of EC funds has been halted following an NGT order dated January 21, 2025. The EPC fund was created following a Supreme Court order dated August 12, 2016, which imposed a 1 per cent charge on diesel vehicles with engines of 2000 cc and above registered in Delhi-NCR. 'As on June 18, 2025, the EPC fund account had Rs 527.91 crore. Of this, Rs 173 crore has already been disbursed and Rs 222.83 crore has been allocated for sanctioned projects and activities," Singh said. 'Of the remaining Rs 132.08 crore, Rs 54 crore has been earmarked as performance grants for the financial year 2025-26 to support 19 NCR cities. This leaves a balance of Rs 78.08 crore available for utilisation." Asked whether the government's air pollution control efforts have focused disproportionately on road dust rather than industrial, vehicular or biomass emissions, the minister defended the approach. 'The government has adopted a multi-sectoral strategy through the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), launched in 2019. It targets all major sources of air pollution, including industries, vehicles, open burning of waste, road dust and construction and demolition activities," he said. Singh said the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) has identified 130 million-plus or non-attainment cities — cities that have exceeded the National Ambient Air Quality Standards for five consecutive years — and prepared city-specific clean air action plans for all of them. 'These plans target local air pollution sources including soil and road dust, vehicles, domestic fuel use, municipal solid waste burning, construction material and industries. They include both short-term actions and medium-to-long-term strategies, coordinated with concerned local agencies," the minister said. Singh cited source apportionment studies conducted in various cities under NCAP, which revealed that road dust and construction activities contribute 40 to 50 per cent of PM10 concentrations in many urban areas. 'Accordingly, cities have prioritised road improvement, traffic decongestion, junction redesign and greening of open spaces," he said. The minister also said that efforts to curb stubble burning, a major contributor to seasonal air pollution in north India, are underway. 'CPCB has issued guidelines for providing financial support to set up paddy straw-based pelletisation and torrefaction plants. The Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) has directed thermal power plants within 300 km of Delhi to co-fire 5 to 10 per cent biomass with coal. Similar directions apply to captive power plants in industrial units located in NCR," Singh said. Further, he said that performance-based grants are being released to urban local bodies in the 130 identified cities under NCAP through both the Central Sector Scheme 'Control of Pollution' and the 15th Finance Commission's air quality grants. 'As on July 20, 2025, a total of Rs 13,036.52 crore has been released to these cities since 2019-20 for implementing various pollution control measures. Of this, Rs 9,209.44 crore has already been utilised by the urban local bodies," the minister added. PTI GVS DIV DIV (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: July 24, 2025, 18:45 IST News agency-feeds Swiss firms pollution rankings misleading: Govt tells Parliament Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. 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