Cong braves challenges, completes 2 yrs in office

Hyderabad: The Congress govt, led by chief minister A Revanth Reddy, on Sunday completed two years in office, successfully completing categorisation of Scheduled Castes (SCs), a first in the country after the SC directions, conducted a caste survey, and is implementing development works and welfare schemes, amidst criticism from the opposition that many of its promises are yet to be rolled out.Revenue and housing minister Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy on Sunday said the two years of Congress govt has been marked with challenges but it not only braved administrative challenges, financial constraints, judicial hurdles and political rumblings, also provided a stable govt creating itself a mark on development and welfare front. All this was achieved overcoming the opposition onslaught that the govt might not survive long, he added.Right from taking along with him party heavyweights like N Uttam Kumar Reddy, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy and Bhatti Vikramarka, Revanth also managed to win the confidence of the party high command and the people of the state, a senior leader said.Revanth Reddy himself had been repeatedly informing the people of the state that the Congress govt inherited 8 lakh crore debt on the state exchequer, left behind by the previous BRS govt. Revanth said the Congress govt was spending one-third of the total revenue on debt servicing, another one-third on salaries of govt employees and pensioners, and the remaining on development works and welfare schemes.Though the Congress govt filled up over 61,000 jobs, implemented some of its guarantees like 200 units free electricity, gas cylinder at 500, free RTC bus travel for women, 10 lakh Aarogyasri, fine rice distribution, Indiramma houses, SC categorisation, caste survey, several other of its promises like monthly pension to women under Mahalakshmi, a tola gold as part of Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak among others were yet to be implemented.The Revanth govt came under sharp criticism from various quarters for setting up Hyderabad Disaster Response and Assets Monitoring and Protection Authority (HYDRAA) to remove unauthorised structures on lake beds.However, with victories in 2023 assembly polls, 2024 Secunderabad Cantonment by-poll and Lok Sabha elections, and the recent Jubilee Hills by-election, TPCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud said the govt and the party has only been consolidating under the leadership of Revanth Reddy, his cabinet colleagues and party cadres."BRS has lost its steam, and BJP lost its deposit in Jubilee Hills bypoll in the heart of the city. The people of the state are firmly standing with the Congress govt," he added.