The Telangana cabinet, chaired by chief minister A Revanth Reddy, on Friday approved a ₹ 200 crore scheme to convert petrol and diesel-powered auto rickshaws into electric vehicles within core Hyderabad capital region in a move to reduce automobile pollution and transform Hyderabad into a green city.
Disclosing this to reporters after the cabinet meeting, state information and public relations minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy said there were currently around 18,766 petrol and diesel autos operating in the Core Urban Region (CURE) area of Hyderabad.
“At present, these institutions function under the Technical Education Department. The cabinet also decided to extend the deadline for applications under the Hyderabad Industrial Lands Transformation (HILT) policy, which seeks to facilitate the relocation of polluting industries operating within Hyderabad city limits to areas on the city’s outskirts. A sub-committee headed by deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka and ministers Duddilla Sridhar Babu, N Uttam Kumar Reddy and Vivek Venkataswamy, would be constituted to organise the event.
He said the state government had proposed establishing Young India Integrated Residential School complexes in 113 assembly constituencies. With the seven schools approved on Friday, permissions have now been granted for 86 school complexes, he said. The cabinet has tentatively decided to hold the Telangana Rising Global Summit 2.0 on December 7, 8 and 9 this year.
“Under the proposed scheme, eligible auto drivers will be provided a subsidy of up to ₹ 1.50 lakh per vehicle to facilitate the transition to electric autos,” the minister said, adding the decision was taken as part of the state government’s efforts to reduce vehicular emissions and promote cleaner transportation in Hyderabad. “The government will undertake a widespread awareness campaign through gram panchayat buildings and Rythu Vedikas across the State to encourage farmers to increase cultivation of these varieties,” the minister said. The cabinet decided that they would be removed from the purview of the Telangana Education Act and brought under the Young India Skills University framework,” Srinivas Reddy said.
