Bhatti Vikramarka Announces Bonus, Jobs and Welfare Measures for Singareni Workers

Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka announced a series of welfare measures for Singareni Collieries Company Limited workers during a media conference at Praja Bhavan. The announcements include payment of 34% of the company’s profits to permanent employees and a bonus of ₹5,500 for contract workers. He said that 250–300 pending dependent employment orders would be completed and handed over within 15 days. The government also plans to address workers’ name-related issues on humanitarian grounds, conduct monthly medical board meetings at area hospitals for medical invalidation cases, and offer a one-time employment option to eligible workers who lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 pandemic or other local circumstances. Bhatti also directed officials to speed up the distribution of house-site pattas to eligible poor families on Singareni land and prepare a list of beneficiaries within a month.

The announced measures also focus on housing, healthcare, education, safety and energy. Dilapidated D-type quarters are to be replaced with modern residential facilities under proposed Nehru Housing Colonies, while Singareni colonies will receive improved drainage, sanitation and drinking-water facilities. Area hospitals are to be upgraded with specialist doctors and cardiac and catheterisation laboratory services, alongside free cancer screening in Singareni villages. The government also plans to install solar panels on schools, colleges, hostels, hospitals and government buildings, and develop solar plants on unused land and overburden hills. Other measures include improved safety-kit distribution every six months, financial support for government junior colleges in Sathupalli and Bhupalpally, land allocation for an agricultural research centre in Bhupalpally, and a proposed Singareni-run thermal power plant in Ramagundam. Bhatti also directed the management to pay the income tax of Singareni workers directly to the government and to release performance-related pay (PRP) for eligible Singareni officers. He criticized the previous BRS government over decisions that he said had harmed the company, including its failure to participate in coal-block auctions conducted by the Centre.