Telangana Dy CM, five ministers assume office

Hyderabad, Dec (IANS) Telangana’s Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka and five other Ministers took charge on Thursday.

Bhatti, who holds the portfolios of finance & planning and energy, assumed the office at 8.21 a.m. amid the chanting of Vedic hymns and blessings of pandits.

Immediately after taking charge, he signed the files related to the release of funds to the two out of six guarantees promised to the people by the Congress in the elections.

He released Rs 374 crore to the TSRTC to support the Mahalaxmi scheme under which the government provided free travel facility to women in buses.

Bhatti also issued orders releasing Rs 298 crore to the health department to provide treatment under Rajiv Arogya Sri to the needy up to Rs 10 lakhs.

He signed the file pertaining to the release of an amount of Rs 996 crore as electricity subsidy.

The Deputy Chief Minister signed on the file to release Rs 75 crore for the arrangements in connection with the famous tribal festival-Sammakka Saralamma at Medaram in Mulugu district.

Minister for Information Technology, Electronics & Communications, Industries & Commerce, D. Sridhar Babu was the first to take charge. He assumed office at 6.30 a.m.

Nalamada Uttam Kumar Reddy took charge as minister for Irrigation & CAD, Food & Civil Supplies; C. Damodar Rajanarasimha took charge as minster for Health, Medical & Family Welfare, Science and Technology; Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy assumed office as the minister for Revenue and Housing and Information & Public Relations; and Seethakka took charge as the minister Panchayat Raj & Rural Development, Women & Child Welfare.

Senior officials, MLAs and Congress leaders were present when the ministers took charge in their respective chambers.

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka and 10 other ministers had taken oath on December 7.

Some ministers had taken charge a day after taking oath.