74L bank accounts will be credited with Rs 1,500 as promised by CM: Telangana minister

Telangana Municipal Administration Minister K T Rama Rao said on Monday that around 74 lakh bank accounts would be credited with Rs 1,500 on Tuesday as support for the needy during the coronavirus-induced lockdown.

"Total of Rs 1,112 crore has been transferred by the government to the banks," he tweeted.

Rao, who is also the working president of the ruling TRS, said more than three lakh tonnes of free rice has been distributed to 87 per cent of the 76 lakh beneficiaries in the state. The state government had announced that in view of the hardships being faced by people due to lockdown, each of the 87.59 lakh food security cardholders in the state would be given 12 kg of rice. It had also said all food security card-holding families would be given a one-time support of Rs 1,500 to meet expenditure on other essential commodities.

Meanwhile, Congress' Telangana unit president and Lok Sabha MP N Uttam Kumar Reddy said a meeting of all opposition parties would be convened on April 15 to discuss the coronavirus situation in the state and to review the measures taken by the government.

Addressing reporters after a meeting of 'TPCC Task Force on COVID-19', Reddy said the coronavirus situation across the globe has been "turning worse with each passing day". He said it was Congress leader Rahul Gandhi "who alerted everyone on February 12 itself" about the serious threat coronavirus posed for the people and economy of India.

Gandhi had also expressed apprehension that the government was not taking this threat seriously. His fears came true as the BJP government acted only after one-and-half months by calling for a 'Janata Curfew' on March 22, Reddy alleged.

He claimed that the situation would have been much better had the BJP government at Centre and TRS dispensation in Telangana acted on time. He alleged that there was huge delay and several discrepancies in distribution of free rice among poor families and none of them got the Rs 1,500 financial assistance as promised by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao.