Hyderabad: Keeping its promise, the State government on Tuesday launched a scheme to supply free drinking water up to 20,000 litres in the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation limits.
Municipal Administration and Urban Development Minister KT Rama Rao, who launched the scheme at Rahmath Nagar and personally issued ‘zero bills’ as part of the scheme to a few at their doorsteps, said history was being created in Hyderabad with the new scheme, which could be seen as Sankranti being celebrated in advance in the city.
The scheme would benefit over nine lakh families, with no bills to be issued in slums, he said, recalling that it was during the GHMC election campaign that Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao announced the scheme. Within a month, on January 12, the promise was kept, he said.
“The financial burden of Rs 500 crore arising due to the scheme will be borne by the State government. We promise and we deliver,” Rao said.
At a time when other metro cities such as Chennai were suffering from a severe shortage of drinking water and some cities even transporting water by train, Hyderabad was not facing such issues, thanks to the farsightedness of the Chief Minister, he pointed out.
Hyderabad was being supplied safe drinking water from the Godavari and Krishna rivers. And, projects were being taken up to ensure there was no shortage of drinking water till 2048, he said, referring to the initiatives like the Keshavpuram reservoir.
Earlier, interacting with beneficiaries of the free drinking water scheme, Rama Rao said despite financial constraints in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, the State government was continuing all developmental and welfare programmes. The distribution of financial assistance under Rythu Bandhu and the Rs 1/kg rice to the poor was going on unabated while on the other hand, though a bit delayed, the double bedroom houses for eligible beneficiaries were also being handed over, he said.
Animal Husbandry Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav, Labour Minister Ch Malla Reddy and others were also present.
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