CM Revanth Reddy’s deadline diplomacy keeps missing targets

Revanth Reddy continues to set deadlines for government tasks despite a history of missed targets, attracting criticism as results lag and commitments remain unfulfilled

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy‘s penchant for setting “deadlines” for different government tasks and programmes while making promises to the people is continuing despite a long string of missed targets. While some Ministers too appear to be growing fond of the approach to impress people about their ‘commitment’ to fulfill electoral promises, the trend is drawing flak as results often lag behind. None of the deadlines set by Revanth Reddy or his Cabinet colleagues were met so far.

In the Chief Minister’s case, he had first set a deadline of December 9, 2023, for implementing the crop loan waiver scheme, which was later extended multiple times. First was to January 26, then to a 100-day window, and finally to August 15, 2024. Yet, even by October, out of the 41 lakh eligible farmers, 20 lakh are still waiting for their loans to be waived.

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The Chief Minister also promised to deliver on the Six Guarantees comprising 13 assurances under the Abhaya Hastham scheme within 100 days. Even after 300 days, only a couple of them have been implemented. Now, a fresh deadline of December 9, 2024, has now been set to meet these electoral commitments.

Another case is the Praja Palana application process, where January 17 was originally set as the deadline for applicants seeking government schemes. The process, however, was re-branded as “ongoing” after deadlines were missed, as usual. Officials were asked to resolve 2.45 lakh pending applications in the Dharani portal by the first week March. This was again extended till August 15, with no major progress till date.

Similarly, a comprehensive Disaster Management Plan for Greater Hyderabad, promised by June 4, remains incomplete even as the monsoon season is mostly over. The latest deadline Revanth Reddy is setting for his government is December 9, 2024 for various tasks and programmes like SC categorisation, BC survey, and TGPSC recruitment to fill 2 lakh government jobs, among others.

In tandem with Revanth Reddy, other Ministers are also embracing this “deadline diplomacy.” Minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, for instance, announced a December 31, 2024 deadline for completing Warangal’s Smart City works. In August this year, he wanted the Layout Regularisation Scheme (LRS) applications to be processed and completed within three months. But no major progress has been witnessed in this regard. Now, he has set December 9, 2024 as fresh deadline to implement the new Record of Rights (RoR) Act along with the Bhoomatha portal replacing the Dharani portal.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka too had set deadlines including March 31 next year for operationalisation of Yadadri Thermal Power Station. The commissioning of two units in Yadadri had deadlines in October, which too have not been met. Similarly, Ministers Ponnam Prabhakar, Tummala Nageswara Rao and others have also followed suit, setting deadlines for their respective departments. However, as these targets continue to be pushed back, questions are growing over the government’s ability to deliver on its promises.