FM assumes office amid chanting of Vedic hymns by pandits

Hyderabad: Deputy CM Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka assumed the office of the finance, power and planning ministries amid the chanting of Vedic hymns and blessings of Veda pandits at Secretariat.

Special chief secretary, finance, Ramakrishna Rao, Sunil Sharma, special chief secretary of Transco and finance department secretaries Sridevi and Harita welcomed the minister handing over flower bouquets.

The MLAs Ramdass Nayak, Adluri Laxman, Aadi Srinivas, Sanjiva Reddy, Beerla Ilaiah, Ragamayi, Malreddy Ranga Reddy, Nagaraju and former electricity minister Mohammad Ali Shabbir were present.

Immediately after taking over the charge as the finance minister he signed the files related to the release of funds to the two out of six guarantees promised to the people by the Congress party in the elections. He released Rs. 374 crores to the TSRTC to support the Mahalaxmi scheme under which the government provided free travel facility to women in RTC buses.

Bhatti also issued orders releasing Rs.298 crores to health department to provide treatment under Rajiv Arogya Sri to the needy up to Rs.10 lakhs. He signed the file pertaining to the release of an amount of Rs. 996 crores electricity subsidy.

The Deputy CM signed on the file to release Rs.75 crore for the arrangements in connection with the famous tribal festival-Sammakka Saralamma at Medaram in Mulugu district.

Veda pandits welcomed Vikramarka and his wife Nandini and family members with 'poornakubham' when they arrived at the chambers.