KCR announces Rs 700-cr bonus for Singareni employees, hikes differently-abled pension

MANCHERIAL: Telangana Chief MInister K Chandrasekhar Rao (KCR) has said that a Rs 700-crore bonus would be paid to the employees of Singareni Collieries Company LImited (SCCL) by Dasara this year. He squarely blamed the Congress and the BJP for ruining the coal mines on all fronts. In another significant announcement, KCR also announced a Rs 1,000 hike in pension for the differently abled people from July, 2023, thus taking the total pension to Rs 4,160 a month.

Addressing a mammoth public gathering at Mancherial district on Friday evening, KCR said that Singareni had a history of 134 years and it was the property of Telangana, started during the Nizams’ time, providing livelihood to thousands of people. Singareni was first ruined during the previous Congress regime in undivided Andhra Pradesh by indulging in heavy borrowing for the coal mines, he said, adding that, failing to repay the debt, the Congress government sold 49 percent stakes of the SCCL to the Central government.

The Chief MInister reminded that, before 2014, the bonus paid to the workers was only 18 percent amounting to a meagre Rs 50 to 60 crores. In 2014, Singareni's turnover was Rs 11,000 crore and now, after the BRS Government came to power, it has increased to Rs 33,000 crores. Similarly, Singareni's profits which were only Rs 300-400 crore during 2014 have now increased to Rs 2,184 crores, he said, adding that Rs 700 crores of bonus would be distributed to Singareni workers by Dasara this year, he said.

Referring to the employment in Singareni Collieries, KCR said that only 6,453 jobs were created in 10 years of the Congress regime. After the formation of Telangana, 19,463 jobs were generated by restoring the rights of dependent jobs. He reminded that 15,256 people had been given dependent jobs and Rs 25 lakh provided to those who opted for early retirement from the dependent jobs. In case of accidents, the previous Congress party has given Rs 1 lakh and it has been increased to Rs 10 lakh by the BRS government, besides providing Rs 10 lakh interest-free loan for the workers to construct houses, he said.

KCR also took a dig at the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre for its attempts to privatise the coal mines in the country. “Currently, there is no scarcity for coal in India and still we are importing it from Australia and Indonesia, which is highly deplorable. Around 361 billion tonnes of coal is available for the public in eastern and western coal fields besides Singareni. With this, thermal power, which will be sufficient for the country for the next 150 years, can be generated. However, the BJP is still trying to privatize power supply and coal mines, burdening the people further. Opposing this, the BRS is fighting on the issue across the country,” the Telangana Chief Minister said.

He also continued his tirade against the Congress leaders for casting aspersions on the Dharani portal and spreading canards against its utility. He reiterated his comment that the Dharani portal baiters should be thrown into the Bay of Bengal while cautioning people that doing away with Dharani would only bring back the regime of middlemen, who used to play havoc with the lives of people in connection with land registrations.

KCR opens IDOC, launches two more schemes in Mancherial district

Earlier, KCR formally inaugurated the Integrated District Officers Complex (IDOC), developed at a cost of Rs 55.22 crore in Naspur mandal. On the occasion, the State Government has launched two more schemes such as Gruhalaxmi, financial assistance schemes for caste-based vocational occupations and the second phase of the sheep distribution scheme.

KCR handed over a cheque of Rs 1 lakh each to Kundarapu Murali (potter profession) of Vellampalli village in Thotapalli mandal and Mamidi Satyanarayana (Nayee Brahmin profession) of Bheemaram village.

The Chief Minister inaugurated the BRS party office constructed at a cost of Rs 60 lakh in the Mancherial district headquarters. He also laid the foundation stone for a slew of development projects – Chennur Lift Irrigation Scheme (CLIS) with Rs 1,748 crore, medical college with Rs 510 crore, oil palm factory to be set up near Mandamarri with Rs 500 crore,

Mancherial-Antargam Bridge over Godavari river with Rs 164 crores. Ministers Vemula Prasanth Reddy, Indrakaran Reddy, Gangula Kamalakar, Chief Secretary A Santhi Kumar, MLCs and other public representatives were also prese