Voting percent: Hyderabad less than 30, while Telangana crosses 50 at 3:30pm

HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to fair recruitment for government jobs. He advised unemployed individuals not to fall prey to conspiracies by political parties and selfish entities.

Revanth Reddy emphasized that the government considers legal aspects when changing recruitment regulations during exams. He assured that the government would take appropriate decisions to benefit the unemployed. The CM warned that incorrect decisions, like those by the previous government, could jeopardize current notifications.

The government has already undertaken 28,942 job recruitments. It has overcome court hurdles for Group 1, Group 2, and Group 3 recruitments, aiming to conduct competitive exams as per the job calendar. Revanth Reddy promised to release the job calendar in the upcoming budget session. The calendar will ensure that exams do not clash with central government recruitment tests and other board exams, guaranteeing fairness for the unemployed.

Meeting with unemployment leaders

In light of ongoing agitations, Revanth Reddy held a meeting at his residence with various unemployment leaders. Attendees included MP Chamal Kiran Reddy, MLC Balmuri Venkat, and Youth Congress President Shiva Sena Reddy, among others. The CM discussed the demands and concerns of the unemployed for nearly three hours.

During the meeting, extensive discussion took place on the demand to select candidates for Group 1 mains at a 1:100 ratio instead of 1:50. Officials informed the CM that the previous government’s decisions led to exam paper leaks and delays. The current government withdrew the petition from the Supreme Court, issued a new notification with additional posts, and conducted the preliminary exam smoothly.

Officials explained that deviating from the notified selection ratio could lead to court intervention, jeopardizing the entire notification. They highlighted past instances where legal changes during the process resulted in exams being canceled. The CM was briefed on the Supreme Court’s ruling in the 1999 UPSC vs. Gaurav Dwivedi case, which emphasized fairness for those selected under the original notification.

Revanth Reddy also discussed increasing posts for Group 2 and Group 3 exams. Officials explained that increasing posts during ongoing exams would violate the notification and invite legal challenges. They noted that additional posts were possible for Group 1 due to a new notification but not for Group 2 and Group 3.

Student leaders brought up concerns about the scheduling of Group 2 and DSC exams. They highlighted that consecutive exam dates were causing preparation difficulties. The CM promised to discuss the exam dates with TSPSC and the education department for a fair decision.

The meeting underscored the government’s commitment to transparent recruitment and the importance of addressing legal concerns to avoid future complications.

Hyderabad: Marut Drones received the Federation of Telangana Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FTCCI) Excellence Award 2023-24 for Excellence in Product Innovation – Small Medium Enterprises on Friday. The award was presented by Telangana’s apex trade and industry body for Marut’s Revolutionary Direct Seeding Device, which had received the World’s First Utility patent for a term of 20 years, under the provisions of the Patents Act, 1970 earlier this year.

Marut’s AG365 with Direct Seeding Device was recognized as the winner in Product Innovation Small Medium Enterprises category. Marut Drones received the award from D. Sridhar Babu,Minister of IT, Government of Telangana and Member of Parliament Dr. Mallu Ravi, in the presence of industry captains, ecosystem champions, policy makers and key influencers at Federation House, Hyderabad.

“With this innovation, Marut Drones endeavors to facilitate the widespread adoption of direct seeding drones for rice cultivation at the grassroots level. The patent is for a multi-utility attachment, enabling farmers to utilize drones not only for pesticide spraying but also for direct seeding, thereby accelerating Return on Investment (ROI). The drone enables the aerial dispersion of diverse rice seeds through a meticulously designed multi-nozzle mechanism” said Marut in a official statement

Speaking on the occasion,Mr. Prem Kumar Vislawath, CEO and Founder of Marut Drones said, “We are honored to be recognized as a FTCCI Excellence Award Winner. This award is a validation of our team’s hard work and unwavering dedication. The accolade reflects Marut’s vision to fortify food security efforts with its technology. We are committed to position India as a global drone hub with our research and innovation.”

Marut’s efforts to promote the adoption of direct seeding in rice cultivation using drone technology opens avenues for rural employment and disrupt the global rice market.

According to Marut Drones officials website, Their vision was to transcend boundaries and pioneer advancements that address the most pressing global challenges.

Kondapur: Enforcement Directorate(ED) has conducted nationwide raids including Hyderabad in connection with the sewage treatment plant corruption case of Delhi Jal Board (DJB).

The firm M/s Euroteck Environment Pvt. Ltd which is based out of Hyderabad is in the midst of a storm in the alleged corruption case. Along with Hyderabad the law enforcement agency conducted searches in Delhi, Ahmedabad, and Mumbai. During the search operations, cash amounting to Rs. 41 Lakh, various incriminating documents and digital evidence were found and seized.

ED of New Delhi zone initiated investigations on the basis of FIR registered by ACB, GNCTD, New Delhi against M/s Euroteck Environmental Pvt Ltd. and others under various sections of IPC, 1860 and Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988 alleging scam in DJB in the name of augmentation and upgradation of 10 Sewage Treatment Plants (STPs) at Pappankala, Nilothi, Najafgarh, Keshopur, Coronation Pillar, Narela, Rohini and Kondli.

The four tenders valuing Rs. 1943 Crore was awarded to various Joint Venture entities in October 2022. The FIR alleges that only three three Joint Venture(JVs) companies participated in all the four tenders. “While 2 JVs got one tender each, 1 JV got 2 tenders. The 3 JVs participated in the 4 STP tenders mutually to ensure that each one got the tender. The FIR alleges that the tendering conditions were made restrictive including adoption of IFAS technology to ensure that select few entities could participate in the 4 tenders. The cost estimates initially prepared was Rs. 1546 Crore but was revised during the tender process to 1943 Crore. It is further alleged that the contracts were awarded to 03 JVs at inflated rates which caused substantive loss to the exchequer” said ED in an official note.

ED investigation revealed that the 4 tenders related to STPs valuing Rs. 1943 Crore were awarded by DJB to 3 JVs. In all the 4 tenders, 2 JVs (out of 3 common JVs) participated in each tender and all the 3 JVs secured the tenders. The costs adopted by DJB for upgradation and augmentation were the same though the cost of upgradation is lesser than the cost for augmentation.

Further probe revealed that all the 3 JVs submitted the same experience certificate issued from a Taiwan Project to DJB for securing the tenders and the same was accepted without any verifications. Thereafter, all the 3 JVs subcontracted the work related to the 4 tenders to M/s Euroteck Environment Pvt. Ltd., Hyderabad.

The verification of the tender documents shows that the initial cost of 4 tenders was about Rs. 1546 Crore which was revised to Rs. 1943 Crore without following due process/ project reports. Further investigation is underway.