Hyderabad: Chief minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday swore by Lord Rama of the Bhadrachalam temple that he would take full responsibility of developing the erstwhile Khammam district. He appealed to the people to elect sarpanches who would work with ministers to continue to provide good governance.“If there is good governance, welfare schemes such as 200 units of free electricity, distribution of ration cards, fine rice, Indiramma houses, Indiramma sarees, and more will continue. That is why sarpanches in villages must be good people. They should work with ministers. Do not trust the false promises of the opposition parties,” the CM said while addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the Manmohan Singh Earth Sciences University in Kothagudem.This was the second public meeting in Revanth’s district tours, organised as part of the Congress govt’s two-year celebrations. “You brought the Congress to power. Support us for the next 10 years to make Telangana number one in the country on the development and welfare front,” he said.Revanth apologised to the gathering for arriving late to the venue due to a technical issue with the chopper and for leaving early, but assured them that he would return later to discuss district development plans in detail. “I have to rush to New Delhi to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi, AICC president Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi to the Global Summit to be held on Dec 8 and 9 at the Bharat Future City,” he said.The CM assured that all the irrigation projects in Khammam district would be completed. “India’s first Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru’s policy of irrigation and education is an inspiration for us. We will prioritise the district’s development on these two fronts. Naming the university after former PM Manmohan Singh is fitting, as it was during his tenure that Telangana state was granted statehood. The agitation began in Palvancha of this district when lands were taken from the locals for a thermal power station, but jobs were given to outsiders,” Revanth said.He noted that the courses offered at the Earth Sciences University would go a long way in strengthening the Singareni Collieries Company Limited. “Khammam district was neglected by the previous BRS govt, which failed to complete any irrigation projects due to their greed for commissions. The Congress govt will complete the projects and ensure that every acre in the district gets water from both Krishna and Godavari rivers,” he said.Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka said the university would be built on par with global standards, befitting the stature of Manmohan Singh. He described the foundation stone ceremony as a historic moment not just for Telangana but for the entire nation, noting that India has never before had a fully-fledged Earth Sciences University. “The institution will focus on studying mineral resources and multiple aspects of earth systems, generating knowledge that will benefit India and the world,” he added.Ministers Tummala Nageswara Rao, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Vakiti Srihari and CPI MLA Kunamneni Sambsiva Rao sought the public’s support to enable the Revanth-led govt to deliver more welfare and development initiatives.
