
Collapsed Kaleshwaram cannot be compared with Congress-era Nagarjunasagar, Srisailam: CM Revanth
Calling the Kaleshwaram project a 'white elephant', he asked: 'How can Kaleshwaram, built at a cost of ₹1 lakh crore and collapsed within three years, be compared to Congress-era projects like Nagarjunasagar, Srisailam, SRSP and Jurala which still stand strong?' He was addressing a public meeting at Tungaturthy on Monday.
Reiterating that the Congress flag will fly high for the next 10 years in Telangana, he said people should not have any doubts about it, and he appealed to the Congress workers to ensure a landslide victory in the upcoming local body elections. Fine rice scheme and ration cards are game changers and the women folk are with the party, he said, exuding confidence that the party would sweep the forthcoming local body elections.
He also highlighted Telangana's historic achievements under Congress rule, such as conducting the first caste census in 100 years, pushing for 42% BC reservations in local bodies, SC reservations classification and striving to make Telangana a $1 trillion economy.
The Chief Minister also pointed out the contrast between the BRS era, marked by liquor belt shops in villages, and the Congress government, under which people now queue up to receive ration cards. 'Ration cards are a matter of self-respect for the poor,' he asserted.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
21 minutes ago
- Business Standard
State dept layoffs affect Trump priorities like intelligence, energy, China
One employee coordinated intelligence activities. Another worked to leverage US energy interests abroad. And a third was an expert on strategic competition with China. They are just some of the more than 1,300 State Department employees fired last week, eliminating hundreds of years of institutional knowledge and experience. The move has stunned America's diplomatic workforce, not only as their careers abruptly end but as they wonder who if anyone will fill in on what they call critical work to keep the US safe and competitive on the world stage. Many of the positions and offices abolished Friday under Secretary of State Marco Rubio's dramatic reorganisation plan overlap with priorities President Donald Trump has laid out for his second term, such as combating visa fraud and countering China. Other cuts could have wide impact on everyday life, including processing Americans' passport applications. Trump administration officials have defended the mass dismissals, saying they are overdue and necessary to make the department leaner and more efficient. Where the State Department cuts are hitting Among the employees laid off are more than 100 people who worked in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, which is self-funded from passport and visa fees. That includes half of a team that investigated passport fraud and 23 people who oversaw contracts to provide American citizen services, including processing passport applications, in the US and abroad, according to a list compiled by current and former foreign service officers and sent to Congress this week. Others fired included experts responsible for dealing with visa fraud and money laundering in Russia and Eastern Europe as well as transnational criminal organizations and migrant worker visa fraud in Mexico and Central America. A small team that had worked on multilateral engagements in the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, including supporting Rubio's trip to Malaysia last week, also were fired as Rubio was flying back to Washington from Kuala Lumpur, according to the list. A handful of employees said their small office was eliminated even though it was doing work on immigration that the administration had deemed a priority. They thought their jobs were safe, and several were on vacation when the notices started rolling in. It came out of the blue, and there's no one left to do what we were doing, said one of the laid-off employees, who has more than 30 years of experience. Fired employees speak out about their work In interviews with The Associated Press, more than half a dozen employees who got notice to clear out their desks described their work as crucial. For some, the government spent tens of thousands of dollars investing in their language skills, providing training or moving them and their families from one overseas posting to another. They spoke on the condition of anonymity, fearing reprisal from the agency where they remain on the payroll until September. "The American people aren't getting all of the facts about what the department has done," said a civil service officer working in intelligence who was fired last week. The person said the intelligence work their team had been doing has now been transferred to an office that doesn't have the capacity to handle the sensitive material and coordination required. One senior official, who was fired after 26 years in the foreign service, said their office was working to maintain US energy dominance abroad. Rubio testified at his confirmation hearing earlier this year that energy would be a centerpiece of our foreign policy. "The fact that they got rid of all the energy experts who would promote oil and gas sales overseas clearly undermines everything that they're saying," the official said. At least seven intelligence analysts who specialized in Russia and Ukraine issues, as well as five fluent Chinese speakers, also were let go, according to two of the employees. A staffer focused on strategic competition with China said the decision to lay off staff who had institutional and cultural knowledge of China and spoke the language could leave the US exposed. He added that Rubio had recently labelled the country as the most significant long-term risk to the United States. The State Department says it needs to be nimble Although the dismissals were less severe than many feared, they're a major concern for staffers being tasked with additional duties to make up for losses in key areas like intelligence and research, consular affairs, diplomatic security, energy, and international and educational organisations. Before a panel of deeply sceptical Democratic lawmakers, Michael Rigas, the State Department official who sent employees the layoff notices, tried Wednesday to allay concerns that the cuts would have a devastating impact on US diplomacy. He denied allegations that the layoffs were conducted in a haphazard and irresponsible manner to the detriment of national security. Rigas, deputy secretary of state for management, made the case to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the department with more than 76,000 employees worldwide had grown exponentially and that a massive reorganisation was needed to keep it relevant and nimble to respond to foreign crises and policy challenges. The department became large and began to lose its way, becoming ineffectual bureaucratically, spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters Wednesday. She added that it wasn't the fault of the people who were in those seats, but the structure itself. Rigas said those laid off Friday are on administrative leave foreign service officers for 120 days, and civil servants for 20 days and they could have the opportunity to apply for other positions once a government-wide hiring freeze is lifted. Booker confronts Trump administration official Some senators were not buying Rigas' argument, and sharp disagreements erupted into a shouting match after New Jersey Democrat Cory Booker accused Rigas of lying to lawmakers this week over the extent of the staff reductions. Booker was visibly angry as he wielded a list of what he said were misstatements, half-truths or lies in Rigas' testimony before the House Foreign Affairs Committee a day earlier about the firings. I don't trust you, Mr. Rigas, Booker said. Your statements lack veracity. This is outrageous, Rigas replied as he tried to respond over multiple interruptions from Booker. Booker's list resembled the one compiled by current and former foreign service officers identifying certain eliminated positions that Rigas said had been largely spared. Sir, you have not been truthful, Booker said. I have watched you lie to this committee, I have watched you lie to the House committee. (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)


New Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Republican senators caution Trump against firing US Fed chair Jerome Powell
WASHINGTON: Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell is gaining some key backing on Capitol Hill from GOP senators who fear the repercussions if US President Donald Trump follows through with threats to try and remove the politically independent central banker. As Trump seemingly waffled back and forth this week on trying to dismiss the Fed chair, some Republicans in Congress began to speak up and warn that such a move would be a mistake. Trump would potentially obliterate the Fed's independence from political influence and inject uncertainty into the foundations of the US economy if he fires Powell. 'If anybody thinks it would be a good idea for the Fed to become another agency in the government subject to the president, they're making a huge mistake,' GOP North Carolina Sen. Thom Tillis said in a floor speech. The measure of support from GOP members of the Senate Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs showed how traditional Republicans are carefully navigating a presidency in which Trump often flirts with ideas — like steep tariffs or firing the Fed chair — that threaten to undermine confidence in the US economy. Tillis, who recently decided not to seek reelection after clashing with Trump, later told The Associated Press that the economic fallout from Powell's firing would mostly hurt 'little guys like me that grew up in trailer parks that may have a few thousand dollars in a 401k.' He also pointed out that the underlying complaint that Trump has with the Fed — its reluctance to cut interest rates — is not controlled by Powell alone, but instead a 12-member committee. 'The markets expect an independent, central bank,' said GOP South Dakota Sen. Mike Rounds, who cautioned against firing Powell. 'And if they thought for a minute that he wasn't independent, it would cast a spell over the forecasts and the integrity of the decisions being made by the bank.' Still, plenty of other Republicans think that dismissing Powell is a fine idea. 'The most incompetent, worst Federal Reserve chairman in American history should resign,' said GOP Ohio Sen. Bernie Moreno. Trump said he was also encouraged to fire Powell during a meeting with about a dozen far-right House members Tuesday evening.


Indian Express
21 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Supreme Court refuses to stay probe against former Congress minister
The Supreme Court Wednesday refused to stay ongoing investigations against former Congress minister Pramod Jain Bhaya, directing him to cooperate in all pending cases, while issuing notice to the Rajasthan government on his petition which had sought clubbing of multiple FIRs registered against him or quashing of all such FIRs. The matter was heard by a bench comprising Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta. Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Bhaya, pressed for an urgent interim relief praying that the investigation in these 'politically motivated' cases be stayed. He argued that the FIRs were lodged after the 2023 Rajasthan Assembly elections, allegedly to harass Bhaya following his electoral defeat. The FIRs, he argued, are vague, overlapping, and have been filed by politically affiliated complainants to settle scores. Former cabinet minister for Mines, Petroleum and Gopalan in the third Ashok Gehlot ministry from 2018 to 2023, Bhaya was elected to the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly three terms from Anta and Baran constituencies. Representing Rajasthan, Additional Advocate General Shiv Mangal Sharma said that each FIR pertains to separate transactions involving distinct facts, complainants and offences, ranging from illegal mining, issuance of forged pattas, to financial misappropriation and document fabrication in collusion with various public officials. Sharma argued that clubbing these FIRs was neither legally sustainable nor practically feasible, especially as they have been lodged across multiple police stations, and that investigation in several matters is at an advanced stage and that the matters are investigated fairly and independently. Taking note of the submissions of the state, the Supreme Court declined to grant Bhaya an interim relief and directed him to cooperate fully in the investigation in all the FIRs pending against him across Rajasthan. However, the top court also categorically stated that no coercive steps shall be taken against the petitioner until the next date of hearing. In his petition, Bhaya had challenged the May 1 judgment of the Rajasthan High Court where it had dismissed his petitions for clubbing and quashing of FIRs, terming the reliefs sought 'contradictory and legally irreconcilable.' The High Court had observed that the FIRs involved distinct allegations and did not arise out of a single transaction, and hence the 'test of sameness' was not satisfied. It further ruled that no mala fides could be presumed without any specific pleading or proof against the investigating officers. The FIRs against Bhaya include allegations under various provisions of the IPC, SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Act, and others, registered at multiple police stations. The SC sought a response from the state government within four weeks.