Domestic donations to PM CARES down by 30% to ₹479 crore in FY25

BRS leader T. Harish Rao speaking at a protest on inclusion of lands in 22A at Malkajigir in Hyderabad on Tuesday. | Speaking at a protest organised demanding cancellation of the list of lands included under Section 22A immediately, in Malkajigiri on Tuesday (August 18, 2026), Deputy Floor Leader of the party in the Assembly T. Harish Rao also wanted the government to delist the lands from the prohibited list. The protest was organised by the Malkajgiri MLA Marri Rajashekhar ReddyLegislators Marri Rajashekhar Reddy and Kaleru Venkatesh Yadav and other leaders of the party participated in the protest. Mr. Harish Rao sought to know why the government had included the lands in the prohibited list after the Urban Land Ceiling Act was scrapped in 2008. He alleged that lakhs of private properties (lands) in Hyderabad, Rangareddy and Medchal districts alone were included in the prohibited list by issuing thousands of Government Orders (G.Os).He explained that lands covered by exemptions issued through various Government Orders, including around 7,500 lands in Rangareddy district and more than 6,000 properties in Medchal, along with HMDA and HUDA lands, had also been included in the prohibited list.The overnight inclusion of lands in the prohibited list had pushed the lives of lakhs of poor and the middle class families — who had purchased flats and plots — into distress. He questioned whether expression of a mere apology would rectify the mistake.He accused the ruling party leaders of demanding 30% of land value as commission, in addition to the land development rightsz, to get the lands de-listed from the prohibited category. He asked who instructed the inclusion of lands under the prohibited lists. Escaping the responsibility by showing some officials as the reason would not be tolerated, he said. Published - August 18, 2026 05:21 pm IST

The Kerala Government Primary School Headmasters’ Association has protested against denial of higher grade to headmasters in the name of not getting K-TET (Teachers’ Eligibility Test) qualification.The association, in a statement, said that according to a Supreme Court judgment TET was mandatory to get promotions from September 1, 2025, and continue in service after August 2030. Arguing that K-TET was needed to get higher grade was a misinterpretation of the court ruling. Equating higher grade with promotion was a violation of the essence of the Kerala Service Rules. Higher grade was a financial relief that one got while continuing in the same post without promotion. The post or the nature of work did not change. However, both changed on getting a promotion, the association said.A petition had been submitted to Minister for General Education N. Samsudheen in this regard, the association said, seeking a decision at the earliest. Published - August 17, 2026 10:25 pm IST

Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav says all States have been affected by the recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission. | He added that these funds would have bridged the revenue deficit, which was ₹16,000 crore in 2014-19 and is projected to widen to ₹48,000 crore in 2025-26.Replying to a question by TDP MLA Burla Ramanjaneyulu in the Legislative Assembly on Monday (August 17, 2026) about whether the special grants given to the States were discontinued in the Union Budget for 2026-27, Mr. Keshav said that all States were affected by the recommendations of the 16th Finance Commission. He further added that what made Andhra Pradesh’s situation particularly difficult was the utilisation of nearly ₹50,000 crore of Central grants by the previous government, which included the 15th Finance Commission grants for 2024-25 and 2025-26 that were drawn in advance.However, as the State government pressed for financial assistance to tide over the crisis, the Centre sanctioned ₹15,000 crore for the construction of the capital city Amaravati, ₹12,157 crore for Polavaram project, and 50-year interest-free loans under the Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) scheme amounting to ₹7,900 crore in 2024-25, ₹8,255 crore in 2025-26 and approximately ₹3,430 crore so far in the current financial year, the Minister said.Mr. Keshav added that the Central government has given in-principle clearance for the development of Rayalaseema Global Horticulture Hub and agreed to contribute ₹10,000 crore in addition to the State’s share of ₹30,000 crore.The Centre also extended support for the development of Visakhapatnam Economic Region conceived to have 49 projects with a total investment of ₹8,00,000 crore in PPP mode. The State government availed an assistance of nearly ₹4,000 crore from the Government of India’s Urban Infrastructure Development Fund, he added. The Minister further said that the Centre ‘invested’ ₹10,300 crore on Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited (RINL). Renegotiation of interests payable on loans raised by the YSRCP government at rates as high as 13.50% resulted in annual savings of roughly ₹1,100 crore, he said. “Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman helped the State in bringing those interest rates down to manageable levels,” Mr. Keshav said, adding that about ₹30,000 crore was spent on the revival of 89 Centrally Sponsored Schemes and recovery from the financial destruction caused by the YSRCP was going to be a long process. Published - August 17, 2026 06:56 pm IST

representational image | Many local self-government bodies currently take loans through the Kerala Urban and Rural Development Finance Corporation Limited (KURDFC) after prior approval of the government.The order issued earlier this month (August, 2026) states that no funds will be allowed from the government for loan repayment. If a local body is unable to repay the loan, a departmental inspection will be conducted and the loan amount will be deducted from the general purpose fund of the civic body at the government level and disbursed to the financial institution.Escrow accountThe local bodies are required to open an escrow account for the repayment of the loan; and the income of the project is supposed to be deposited in it. However, some local bodies have been found to be not depositing the income in the escrow account. The government has decided to revise the existing guidelines due to various similar issues, including excess expenditure over income, lack of reserve funds, delay in implementing the projects and a large number of pending applications before the government for non-income-generating projects, including construction of office buildings for the local bodies.As per the revised guidelines, the loan amount should be determined in such a way that it does not exceed the estimated amount of the project. The own funds can be utilised only if the loan amount and interest are not sufficient for repayment. Gram panchayats and municipalities intending to take loan for construction of income-generating projects such shopping complexes, markets and bus stands should prepare the plan, design and detailed estimate of the construction through PRICE software and submit these for inspection by the respective financial institution after obtaining approval of the estimate from the authorised officer.Consent letterThe local bodies also have to submit a consent letter stating that in case there is a default in repayment, the government can deduct from the General Purpose Fund of the local body and give it to the bank. The KURDFC, or any other financial institution from which the local body is availing of the loan, should ensure that financial condition of the local body is sufficient to repay the loan.The applications from the local body have to be submitted to the Joint Director, LSGD, who should examine the recommendation and reject the applications if the civic body has a negative balance. The tender process for the work can be initiated only once the in-principle approval order for borrowing has been received from the government. Published - August 17, 2026 02:53 pm IST

File picture of Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu in the Assembly during a session | The Assembly began at 9 a.m. and the Legislative Council an hour later, both summoned by Governor S. Abdul Nazeer under Article 174(1). This is the Assembly’s seventh session and the Council’s 50th.The Business Advisory Committee, chaired by Speaker Chintakayala Ayyanna Patrudu, is to meet to settle the sitting days and the agenda; the session is expected to run four days, to Thursday, since Varalakshmi Vratam falls on August 21. The government is preparing to introduce seven Bills.In the Council, the YSRCP has pressed for a discussion on the Mega DSC recruitment, the issue behind a fortnight of protests, detentions and arrests across the State. Amaravati works, the Polavaram project, the rainfall deficit and farmers’ issues are expected to take up much of the four days.Follow live updates here:August 17, 2026 13:27 Debate it here, not at press conferences: Lokesh to JaganMr. Lokesh said the government was prepared to answer every allegation about the Mega DSC on the floor of the House, and asked Mr. Jagan Mohan Reddy to take up the issue there rather than at press conferences.He also referred to a remark the former Chief Minister had made about himself, saying, “He called himself a cockroach.”August 17, 2026 13:24 Notification was built to survive court scrutinyMr. Lokesh said the notification held up because the department had first studied why earlier recruitment notifications had drawn stays. Officials including Vijayarama Raju, then Commissioner of School Education and now CRDA Commissioner, worked on that exercise, and the reasons were analysed using an AI engine before a model notification was drawn up to avoid the same flaws.He said he had told the department he would act seriously if the notification failed at any stage of legal scrutiny. The coalition government completed the recruitment, issued offer letters, trained the selected teachers and posted them in schools, he said, calling it an achievement of the people’s government. Published - August 17, 2026 01:19 pm IST

The Congress government in Karnataka has failed to take steps to mitigate the drought, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said in Guledagudda, Bagalkot district, on Sunday.“There is a drought across the State. Farmers are facing severe hardship due to the lack of monsoon. But in such a situation, the government is spending huge amounts of public money in front of the Vidhana Soudha to hold a freedom festival. This is a matter of shame,” he said.He was speaking after inaugurating the new building of the Kotekal Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society, a farmers’ produce purchase and sales centre, a handloom products sales centre, and the Primary Agricultural Cooperative Society building.“The State government is misusing public money by claiming it has fulfilled its promises through the five guarantees. The condition of farmers in districts such as Koppal, Raichur and Kalaburagi in Kalyana Karnataka is extremely grave and worrying. There is a serious drinking water problem in rural areas. But the government has not come to the aid of farmers,” he said.Mr. Kumaraswamy appreciated the efforts of Kotekal Primary Karnataka Panchayat Societies (PKPS), which built a godown at a cost of ₹6 crore for the storage of farmers’ grain. “They have done a great job by establishing a handloom manufacturing centre, creating employment opportunities for local weavers and providing jobs to 30 mothers,” he said.PKPS president Hanumantha said the centre would serve as a model to facilitate farmers and weavers in the region. Kotekal Holehucheshwara Sri and Basavaraja Pattadariya Sri of Gurusiddheshwara Brahmanath blessed the gathering. Gurusiddha Pattadariya Sri was also present. Published - August 17, 2026 12:52 am IST

Devanuru Mahadeva. | Responding to a question from reporters at a press conference in Mysuru on Friday (August 14, 2026) on what should be the next course of action if the government did not drop the project, Mr Mahadeva said he preferred the Gen-Z should come forward and take up the mantle.“The new generation should lead the movement and we will follow them”, he said.While referring to the conflicting claims by the Government and the activists about the willingness of the farmers to part with the land, Mr. Mahadeva asked if it was appropriate for the government to acquire agricultural land. “If all the farmers give up their land, who will undertake farming? Will the government provide them jobs? Will you provide them a livelihood and prevent migration? Farmers who migrate from villages to cities are ending up in slums. Shouldn’t this be considered?” he asked.“If the Bidadi Township project was implemented, Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, Union Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka would all be equally responsible” he said. Karnataka Rajya Raitha Sangha (KRRS) leader Badagalapura Nagendra, who was also present at the press conference, said a report prepared by a four-member committee headed by retired Supreme Court Judge V Gopalagowda had said that the project had no legal validity and was detrimental to the environment.“A padayatra will be taken out from Byramangala to Freedom Park in Bengaluru on August 25 urging the state government to drop the project” he said.KRRS General Secretary T. Yashwanth and Samaj Parivarthana Samudaya (SPS) Founder S.R. Hiremath, who were also present at the press conference, opposed the Bidadi township project. Published - August 15, 2026 11:34 am IST

Deputy Chief Minister M. Bhatti Vikramarka distributing Digital Smart Ration Cards to beneficiaries in Khammam on Saturday. Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has said the Congress government was working with the objective of providing fine-quality rice to the poor and ensuring that no poor family went hungry.Telangana has around 1.15 crore families, of which 1,06,28,092 families have ration cards. The government is providing six kg of fine-quality rice per person every month to 3,42,57,109 beneficiaries through the ration cards, he said at a programme organised in Khammam on Saturday to distribute Digital Smart Ration Cards on the occasion of Independence Day.He claimed that no other State was implementing such a massive programme. People had faced difficulties in obtaining ration cards during the previous BRS regime, and fine-quality rice was not distributed then, he said.Mr. Vikramarka said the Congress government under the leadership of Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy had sanctioned new ration cards to every eligible poor family in the State.In Khammam district, 62,158 new ration cards had been sanctioned in addition to the existing 4,73,275 ration cards.He also highlighted various other flagship welfare schemes of the Congress government - including free travel for women on TGSRTC buses, free electricity up to 200 units for poor families and enhancement of Rajiv Aarogyasri scheme coverage from ₹5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh. Published - August 15, 2026 08:33 pm IST

Arvind Kejriwal, along with AAP Leaders and supporters during their protest march towards the Prime Minister's residence against E20 petrol. File | In a post on X on Independence Day, Mr. Kejriwal said children across the country were protesting for basic facilities, citing examples from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur, Dehradun and Barmer, where students were demanding better roads and adequate teachers.Mr. Kejriwal said people had accepted poor conditions in government schools as normal, but children are now questioning the system. Published - August 15, 2026 11:54 am IST