Hyderabad

Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy reiterated that the State Government would bear the additional financial burden on Haj pilgrims this year, arising out of increased air travel costs due to the ongoing West Asia crisis.

Flagging off buses carrying pilgrims at the Haj House on Friday, he said that the government would ensure pilgrims were not subjected to hardship, and decided to absorb the extra expenditure.

He said that Congress government respects all religions and treats Hindus and Muslims as brothers. He recalled how the government had extended support to the bereaved families of the Saudi Arabia bus accident, sanctioning compensation of ₹5 lakh each to the families of the deceased.

Mr. Reddy cautioned against alleged attempts to delete voters’ names under the guise of Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and appealed to people to remain united and resist such efforts in Telangana.

The CM observed that global demand for blue collar jobs was higher than white collar employment and pointed out that countries such as Germany and Japan offered more opportunities in skilled sectors. The government is already upgrading Industrial Training Institutes into Advanced Training Centres to equip youth with globally competitive skills, he said.

Later, during a high-level review meeting on minority welfare, he announced the establishment of special Degree colleges for minorities in the headquarters of erstwhile districts. He said these institutions would focus on skill development and Artificial Intelligence training instead of merely offering conventional degree courses.

Mr. Reddy also directed officials to formulate a dedicated incentive programme for minority students on the lines of schemes being implemented for BC, SC and ST meritorious students. He instructed officials to identify minority candidates selected for Group-1, Group-2 and Group-3 services and mentor them.

He also ordered the timely release of honorariums to Imams and Mouzams and announced that land would be allotted for Kabarastans in areas where government land was available.

As part of the Musi rejuvenation project, the Chief Minister instructed officials to construct a mosque, church and gurudwara alongside a temple to reflect Telangana’s composite “Ganga Jamuni Tehzeeb.” He said these institutions should evolve into centres for understanding different faiths, cultures and India’s pluralistic traditions.

Minority Welfare Minister Mohammed Azharuddin and Government Adviser Mohammed Shabbir Ali were present.