As Hyderabad grapples with incessant rains, gig workers who have been braving the adverse weather conditions shared the challenges they face while delivering food and groceries and transporting passengers to their destinations.

“I had to pay ₹650 out of my own pocket to the company for this raincoat,” said Hemant Kumar, a food delivery worker, as he delivered an order in Banjara Hills. “The company doesn’t do much for our welfare, and sometimes customers don’t understand our problems. If my bike breaks down in the rain or if it rains heavily and the order is late, the customer complains to the company. This affects my rating.”

Mohammed Jawed, a cab driver, underscored the severe toll that the persistent rains have taken on those in his profession. “During rains, we have to deal with bad roads, and waterlogging that damage our cars, both in the long and short term,” he said. The situation is exacerbated by the high cost of repairing modern vehicles, where even a faulty sensor — which he says is an expensive component — can lead to significant financial strain.

He recounted how bikes belonging to those within his network were recently submerged in water during heavy downpours. Insurance companies often refuse to cover such damages, categorising them as acts of God. Moreover, cab drivers and those who pick up and drop passengers have to deal with the possible repercussions of being unable to take rides due to rains. “Because it rains, the customer is unable to walk 50 metres. If heavy rains prevent me from reaching a customer, and suppose I have to cancel the ride, the customer might lodge a complaint. This could lead to my driver ID being temporarily suspended by the company,” he explained.

Telangana Gig and Platform Workers Union (TGPWU), a body working for the welfare of gig and platform workers, recently submitted a memorandum to the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), seeking comprehensive insurance for workers and better access to early warning systems in the aftermath of heatwaves experienced across the country earlier this year. Shaik Salauddin, State President, TGPWU, said that while heat waves do pose a health hazard for workers, intense spells of rain too have a similar effect on them.

“There is a need for more real-time information about road conditions, water-logging and which areas to avoid. Recently, a video clip went viral which showed a delivery worker in Ahmedabad working in knee-deep water, which is not good. The life and safety of workers is important. If done right, the algorithms can quickly give the right information to workers. The companies do not provide insurance. This is the right time for the government to step-in and table the long-awaited bill for gig and platform workers,” Mr Salauddin said.

Director, School Education, EV Narsimha Reddy with the four students nominated for the ‘Sakura Science Program’ to be held in Japan.
| Photo Credit: By Arrangement

Four students from State-run gurukula colleges will participate in the ‘Sakura Science Program’ or ‘Japan Science High School Programme’ to be held in November.

Implemented by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), the nominated students are invited for a short-term visit to Japan to experience the country’s cutting-edge science and technology, and culture.

From Telangana, after several district and State-level screenings, four Intermediate students in MPC stream have been selected — Sarabjit De (Telangana Model School and Junior College, Chevella), Naba Mohammadi (Karimnagar), S. Bhaskar (Amadabakula, Wanaparthy), and Vidhya Singh (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, Mancherial).

JST and the Department of School Education and Literacy have been implementing the programme since 2014, and the first batch of students participated in April 2016. This year’s programme is from November 10-16.

Hyderabad:

A government school teacher in Telangana’s Khammam district chopped off the hair of 15 male students as she felt it was long, following which the woman was suspended. 

The incident occurred in Kalluru mandal of the district on Saturday and the English teacher has been placed under suspension pending enquiry, education department officials said on Sunday.

The teacher trimmed the hair of nearly 15 students of classes 8,9 and 10 on the school premises using scissors, they said.

The students who were upset over the haircut, complained to their parents who in turn staged a protest in front of the school against the teacher’s act.

“It (resorting to a haircut) is not the job of teachers. If they (the students) are irregular and if they were indisciplined, she could have informed their parents and should not have acted like that (cutting hair of students),” the official said.

The woman teacher on her part said the students were advised several times to get a haircut as they were found attending the classes with long hair.

“As the students failed to do so she had to cut their hair”, the teacher told the media adding that she didn’t feel that it was wrong to do so. Though she said some students had “objected” to cutting their hair. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who also holds the Finance portfolio, on Thursday presented the state Budget of Rs 2.91 lakh crore for 2024-25, with focus on welfare and fulfilling the six guarantees of the Congress government.

Presenting the first full Budget of the Congress government in the state Assembly, Vikramarka pegged the revenue and capital expenditure at Rs 2.20 lakh crore and Rs 33,487 crore, respectively.

“The total expenditure proposed for the financial year 2024-25 is Rs 2,91,159 crore; the revenue expenditure is proposed at Rs 2,20,945 crore while the capital expenditure proposed is at Rs 33,487 crore,” he said.

In February, the Finance Minister presented a Rs 2.75 lakh crore vote-on-account Budget, while for 2023-24, the budget size was Rs 2.90 lakh crore.

Vikramarka revealed that Telangana recorded a growth rate of 7.4 per cent during 2023-24 against the national growth rate of 7.6 per cent.

At current prices, Telangana’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) in 2023-24 has been recorded at Rs 14,63,963 crore, 11.9 per cent higher than the previous year.

In 2023-24, the services sector contributed 65.7 per cent, industrial sector 18.5 per cent, while agriculture and allied sectors contributed 15.8 per cent to Telangana’s Gross State Value Added (GSVA).

The per capita income of Telangana was Rs 3,47,229 in 2023-24, Rs 1,64,063 higher than the national per capita income of Rs.1,83,236.

“The substantial rise in debt relative to income growth suggests heavy dependence on borrowing to fund expenditures, potentially endangering fiscal sustainability.

The persistent rise in debt far out-stripping income gains suggests that without stringent fiscal reforms, Telangana’s economic health could be at risk, necessitating measures to balance expenditure with revenue generation and reduce dependence on borrowing,” Vikramarka said.

He also mentioned that when the new government was formed in December 2023, the state had a loan burden of Rs 6,71,757 crore. Since then, the government has raised loans of Rs 35,118 crore and repaid loans of Rs 42,892 crore.

“In effect, we have repaid a higher amount of Rs 7,774 crore than the loans we have raised, demonstrating our sincerity towards the people. The previous (BRS) regime reduced the government to such a sad state that loans had to be raised to repay loans,” the Finance Minister said.

He also claimed that despite the extremely difficult financial situation, the government has not ignored the welfare of the people, spending Rs 34,579 crore on various schemes so far.

“We have introduced the Maha Lakshmi Scheme in which women are provided free transportation in RTC buses. We are also providing free electricity up to 200 units, assistance to farmers under Rythu Bharosa, subsidy on rice, etc. We have also made a capital expenditure of Rs 19,456 crore,” he said.

The Finance Minister also made major allocations to implement the poll promises, for agriculture, backward classes welfare, panchayat raj and rural development, municipal administration, and urban development.

The allocation for agriculture and cooperation department has gone up to Rs 49,383 crore from Rs 28,594 crore in 2023-24. The allocation for the Backward Classes Welfare Department has more than doubled to Rs 9,200 crore.

The allocations for the welfare of minorities and tribals have also increased substantially.

The Finance Minister proposed Rs 723 crore for the LPG cylinder at Rs 500 scheme, and Rs 2,418 crore for free electricity up to 200 units (Gruha Jyothi Scheme).

Referring to the recently launched scheme for farm loan waiver of up to Rs 2 lakh, the Finance Minister said despite the financial distress, the government is systematically garnering Rs 31,000 crore needed for this scheme.

Claiming that the new government has so far issued appointment orders for 31,768 jobs, the Finance Minister said the government is committed to creating new jobs in government and government-owned corporations/societies.

“We resolve to set right the irregularities that took place in the recruitment processes before. We will issue a job calendar in the near future,” he added.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

Terming the Union Budget 2024 as “politically biased”, the CPI (M) State committee member Machha Venkateshwarlu hit out at the BJP-led Central government accusing it of meting out a raw deal to Telangana in the Union Budget.

In a statement, he alleged that the Union Budget has grossly neglected the proposed 151-km Bhadrachalam Road-Kovvur new broad gauge railway line, shattering the hopes of people of the tribal majority district for the long cherished and crucial new railway line. There is no concrete assurance for the land oustees of the Polavaram project in terms of compensation in the Union Budget, he charged.

He further alleged that the Union Budget failed to contain any provisions to address the long pending bifurcation issues involving Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. He said the BJP MPs from Telangana owe an explanation to people of the State over the “gross injustices” meted out to Telangana in the Union Budget.

Hyderabad:

The Telangana government plans to increase the quota of backward classes in the upcoming local body elections.

Holding a review meeting at the Secretariat on the proposal to enhance BC quota in the local body elections, Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Monday asked the officials to prepare an action plan in this regard.

He asked the officials to furnish the details of the implementation of reservation in the panchayat elections and also the proposal to increase the quota in the upcoming elections.

The officials apprised the Chief Minister the procedure followed in the previous panchayat elections and the preparations being made for the upcoming panchayat elections.

As Revanth Reddy enquired about the requirement of time to complete the already approved caste census and the conduct of local body elections on the basis of the outcome of the caste census, they said that the caste census was already conducted in Karnataka in 2015 and in Bihar in 2023.

The details of the caste census in Andhra Pradesh have not been released yet.

Officials explained that the caste enumeration format adopted by the Central government in 2011 has 53 columns and it will take at least five and half months to complete the caste census by adding three more columns.

The Chief Minister ordered the officials to prepare an action plan to increase BC quota as well as to conduct the elections at the earliest to avoid delay in the release of central funds to the local bodies, as he discussed the issue of increasing reservation elaborately in the meeting.

Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, Health and Family Welfare Minister Damodara Rajanarasimha, BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, Rural Development Minister Sitakka, Forest Minister Konda Surekha, Chief Minister’s Advisor Vem Narender Reddy and other attended the meeting. Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari, CMO Secretary V. Seshadri, Chief Minister’s Secretary Dr G. Chandrasekhar Reddy, BC Welfare Department Secretary Burra Venkatesham, Panchayat Raj Department Secretary D.S. Lokesh Kumar, Law Department Secretary Rendla Tirupati and others were also present.

Former minister Jana Reddy explained the procedures adopted in the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh and in the Telangana state in the conduct of the Panchayat elections, cases filed in the Supreme Court on BC reservations in the local body elections by various states, judgments and consequences.

In response, Revanth Reddy said that a timeline should be prepared for the implementation of reservations in panchayat elections. The officials have been asked to consult the experts in the Panchayat Raj Act including Jana Reddy and retired department officials to clear the doubts and Advocate General on legal matters.

Ordering a study on the implementation of reservations in the local body elections in other states, the Chief Minister said that he would call another meeting before the commencement of the Budget session of the Assembly and take a final decision on increasing the reservation based on the report prepared by the officials.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

A 32-year-old man in Telangana’s Khammam district was arrested for allegedly killing his wife and two daughters and passing off their deaths as a road accident, the police said on Sunday.

The accused, a physiotherapist at a Hyderabad hospital, was having an affair with a nurse, the police said, adding that he resorted to the murders to continue his relationship with his colleague.

He had earlier had a quarrel with his wife over the matter, the police added.

On May 28, the accused took his wife and two children in a car in Raghunadhapalem mandal in the district and initially killed his 26-year-old wife with a high-dose anesthesia drug, according to the police.

Later, he allegedly smothered his four- and two-and-a-half-year-old daughters to death, a senior police official said.

As part of the man’s plan to make the murders look like a road accident, he lay his wife’s body on the rear seat of the car, put his children in the front, and rammed the vehicle into a tree, the police said.

However, based on the autopsy and technical evidence, the police arrested him and he confessed to the crime during the investigation, the senior police official said.

The accused has been charged with murder and causing the disappearance of evidence.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Hyderabad:

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has invited himself to the home of his Telangana counterpart Revanth Reddy at the latter’s home. Though the two leaders go back a long way, the optics of an NDA Chief Minister meeting his Congress counterpart has set political circles buzzing. Speculation is high on what projects the two states might collaborate on — a subject hinted at in Mr Naidu’s letter to the Telangana Chief Minister.

“It has been 10 years since bifurcation of erstwhile Andhra Pradesh. There have been multiple discussions concerning issues arising from the Reorganization Act. which hold significant implications for the welfare and advancement of our states. It is imperative that we address these issues amicably with utmost diligence and resolve. In light of this, I propose that we meet at your place on 6′ July. Saturday afternoon,” Mr Naidu wrote to Mr Reddy.

“I firmly believe that a face-to-face meeting will provide us with the opportunity to engage comprehensively on these critical issues and collaborate effectively towards achieving mutually beneficial solutions for Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. I am confident that our deliberations will lead to productive outcomes,” the letter added.

The carving out of Telangana has landed the Andhra Pradesh — and its Chief Minister — in a tricky situation, especially now, when the 10-year time for sharing Hyderabad as a joint capital comes to an end.

Andhra Pradesh is yet to build a state capital. Mr Naidu’s Amaravati project has been at a standstill for the last five years after former Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy cut the supply lines.

More importantly, the wipeout of K Chandrasekhar Rao’s Bharat Rashtra Samithi in Telangana has provided an opening to Mr Naidu to expand his foothold in the neighbouring state. For the TDP chief, who has been fighting for a decade to expand in the new state carved out of Andhra Pradesh, this is too big an opportunity to pass up.

For Mr Reddy, it creates a situation that should not be comfortable politically. But the two leaders are too well acquainted. Before joining Congress, Mr Reddy was part of the Telugu Desam Party and a close aide of Mr Naidu.

In the 2015 note-for-vote scam, in which Revanth Reddy went to jail, he had acted as Mr Naidu’s emissary to a nominated member of assembly to ask him to vote in favour of the TDP. Mr Reddy was caught on camera offering Rs 50 lakh to a member.  

Mr Reddy, moreover, is acquiring a reputation of making friends across party lines. In his recent week-long visit to Delhi, Mr Reddy met a number of BJP leaders, including party chief JP Nadda. When his affable treatment of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and calling him “Bada bhai (elder brother) during his visit to the state in March raised eyebrows, Mr Reddy explained it saying he needed to cultivate friendly relations with all to help his state grow.

Hyderabad:

A 26-year-old tribal woman from Telangana’s Nagarkurnool district was tortured in public for a week – she was beaten and chilli powder was rubbed into her eyes and genitals, which were reportedly also burnt – after a mob that confronted the mother of three over missing money turned violent.

Disturbing videos of the incident showed the woman – in a pink saree – squatting on the ground surrounded by screaming villagers; in one video she sits motionless even as those around her – particularly a second woman in an orange saree carrying a large stick – shout and screech at her.

The video then takes a horrific turn after one of the men suddenly turned violent; he grabbed the woman – sitting silently all the while – by the neck, forced her to the ground and stomped on her.

He is pushed away by others and the young woman gets up and tries to escape, only to be shoved back to the ground by a second man, who also seemed to try and tear off her saree.

Tempers then run amok as some people are hit with a wooden stick.

In another shocking video a second woman is pushed into the fray. She grabs the woman in the pink saree by her hair, wrestlers her to the ground and viciously kicks and slaps her repeatedly.

After several minutes of this she is pulled off her victim.

Young woman recounts how accused BandiVenkatesh had threatened her sister to put freshly ground chillies in her eyes & private parts & then how she was burnt repeatedly with cloth dipped in diesel, though she pleaded for mercy; Mother can’t stop her tears, husband stands helpless pic.twitter.com/XH9mTFkRP0

— Uma Sudhir (@umasudhir) June 22, 2024

Even more shocking, District Superintendent of Police, Gaikwad Vaibhav Raghunath, told NDTV these videos are from at least two days before the woman was assaulted and tortured for a second time.

The woman, who was initially admitted to at a state-run hospital in the district, was later shifted to the Nizam’ Institute of Medical Sciences in state capital Hyderabad for better treatment.

Four people – identified as Bandi Venkatesh and his wife, as well as the victim’s sister and husband, have been arrested in connection with the assault.

READ | 4 Arrested For Torturing Tribal Woman, 27, In Telangana: Cops

According to reports, the dispute was over money the woman borrowed from Bandi Venkatesh.

In return, she was to work on his farm. But the woman walked out after a few days after an argument with her sister. An enraged Venkatesh hunted her down and dragged her back to his field.

On Monday Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka met the young woman, who was admitted to a government hospital, and said the Congress government would cover all bills.

Mr Vikramarka also said the state government will provide the woman with a home – if she does not own one – education for her children, and land for her to farm. On Saturday Excise Minister Jupally Krishna Rao spoke to the woman and said she would be given Rs 2 lakh as financial assistance.

With input from agencies

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Hyderabad:

In an explosive revelation in the Telangana phone tapping and snooping row, ex-Deputy Commissioner of Police P Radhakrishna Rao has claimed devices belonging to media industry bigwigs, retired cops, and politicians (including from then-ruling BRS) were hacked and monitored.

This was allegedly part of a well-funded and secretive team set up before the November state election to keep tabs on then Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s political rivals. The snooping operation was supposed to create a dossier to manage possible threats; in a twist, Mr Rao’s BRS was thumped by the Congress anyway, winning only 39 (down from 88 in 2018) of the state’s 119 seats.

Arrested on March 29 from his home in Hyderabad’s Banjara Hills, Mr Rao has reportedly admitted to former colleagues that he was part of this alleged illegal enterprise, which may have snooped on a prominent people, including media personalities Narendra Choudary of NTV and Vemuri Radhakrishna of ABN, retired police officer RS Praveen Kumar, sitting Warangal MP Kadiyam Srihari, and former BRS minister Patnam Mahender Reddy and his wife, Sunita Reddy. Patnam Mahender Reddy has now shifted to the Congress and was the party’s candidate for the Malkajgiri seat in the 2024 election.

Opposition party leaders – such as the Congress’ Saritha Thirupathaiah, who contested and lost the Gadwal Assembly seat last year to the BRS’ BK Mohan Reddy – were reportedly also targeted.

Radhakrishna Rao reportedly also claimed T Prabhakar Rao, then chief of the Special Intelligence Bureau, was in charge of the op, which gathered data on anyone who seemed to be a threat to the then-ruling BRS. Once an individual was flagged, the Intelligence Bureau’s deputy chief, Praneeth Kumar, was reportedly tasked with creating profiles to manage possible ‘threats’ to the BRS’ hold on power.

The alleged snooping did not only target political leaders or public figures. Mr Rao said businesspersons in the real estate and construction industries were also tracked to establish their affiliations.

As rumours of the snooping spread, bureaucrats, members of judiciary, and political figures avoided direct phone calls and, instead, used encrypted messaging services like WhatsApp and Signal.

READ | Ex-Intel Bureau Chief Is Accused No 1 In Phone-Tapping Row

In response, Prabhakar Rao and his group allegedly tracked communications over internet calls by acquiring and examining Internet Protocol Data Records (IPDRs). This has now triggered fresh moral and legal concerns over the use of public resources and technology for personal or political gain.

One particularly unsettling aspect concerned iNews journalist Sravan Kumar.

According to Mr Rao, Mr Kumar spoke directly T Prabhakar Rao during the state election in October and November last year; this meeting is said to have been at the request of the T Harish Rao, a BRS leader who was then a member of the cabinet and is nephew of ex-Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao.

Information about opposition leaders and their financial backers was reportedly sent to the Intelligence Bureau via Mr Kumar, and this was used to target rivals during cash seizure ops. Mr Kumar reportedly also helped Praneeth Kumar wage trolling campaigns against the BRS’ detractors.

Radhakrishna Rao made other startling claims in April.

READ | Senior Cop Arrested In Telangana Phone Tap Row Makes Big Claim

He alleged cash had been moved in official vehicles in the 2018 and 2023 Assembly polls, and gave the Munugode by-poll as an example. He claimed Rs 3.5 crore had been confiscated from people linked to Komatireddy Raj Gopal Reddy, who contested the by-poll on a BJP ticket. He lost to the BRS’ KP Reddy but then jumped to the Congress for the 2023 election and won the seat.

The Telangana phone-tapping case involves the alleged gathering of electronic data not just for political intelligence, but to blackmail leaders, and even private companies and Tollywood celebrities.

Congress leader N Uttam Kumar Reddy told NDTV all this happened with the knowledge of the leadership of the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) government. “It is only a matter of time before they (BRS) leaders come under the ambit of the investigation,” Mr Reddy said.

READ | Those Involved In Phone-Tapping Will Be Jailed, Warns Revanth Reddy

Several other Telangana police officers are being investigated in connection with this case.

The list of individuals whose devices were reportedly monitored include Congress leader and current Chief Minister Revanth Reddy. As many as one lakh phone calls were reportedly tapped.