Now, industries exempted from dual approvals from Environment Ministry
The Central government accepted the demand of the industry to remove dual compliance of Environmental Clearance (EC) and Consent to Establish (CTE) for setting up new industries.
Centre has granted environmental clearance to Telangana chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao’s dream project, a brand new Secretariat Complex while he has agreed to dovetail the state’s own health scheme Arogyashri with the central scheme Ayushman Bharat even though he had steadfastly opposed it on the ground that the former offered better and extensive coverage to the people.
The chief minister’s change of heart came soon after his visit to New Delhi where he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home minister Amit Shah. Mr Rao also went soft on the farm laws which he had opposed vehemently earlier. He had visited New Delhi to pursue pending projects but there was no word on what had transpired in these meetings.
“ Environmental clearance is accorded to the proposed new “Secretariat Complex” of Telangana State by Ministry of Environment Forests and climate Change, Government of India,” according to a notification issued by Engineer-in-chief (R&B), NH & Buildings, Hyderabad.Rao had come under heavy criticism from Opposition parties including the BJP for going ahead with his plans to construct a brand new Secretariat complex at the cost of Rs 500 crore in a year when the city was badly hit not only by the pandemic but battered by heavy rains and worst floods in the past 100 years.
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Yesterday, chief secretary Somesh Kumar had informed in a review meeting on Ayushman Bharat chaired by the Prime Minister that the chief minister had agreed to dovetail the state scheme with that of the central scheme.
In the past Rao had struck to his guns saying that the state scheme was far better than the central scheme as it provided coverage to more people. But with BJP steadily gaining ground in the state and the state teetering on the financial brink he seems to be rethinking his strategy.
Moreover, his refusal to consider extending Arogyashri scheme for Covid 19 patients in private hospital had caused resentment among the people although he had promised to look into it from the floor of the Assembly.
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