Telangana Cabinet Approves 2.5 Lakh Indiramma Houses, Junior College Meal Scheme

The Telangana Cabinet, chaired by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, on Saturday night approved a series of major welfare and development initiatives, including the launch of a midday meal scheme in all government junior colleges from the next academic year and the sanction of 2.5 lakh houses under the second phase of the Indiramma Housing Scheme .

Briefing the media after the meeting, Information and Public Relations Minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy said the government was expanding its welfare focus towards students, the urban poor and economically weaker families across the state.

Under the new education initiative, students studying in Classes 11 and 12 in government junior colleges will receive midday meals, a move aimed at improving nutrition levels, attendance and academic performance among students from low-income families.

The Cabinet also approved the second phase of the flagship Indiramma housing programme , under which 2,000 houses will be allotted in each Assembly constituency . The government had earlier sanctioned 4.5 lakh houses in the first phase with an expenditure of nearly Rs.22,500 crore .

The formal launch of the second phase will take place on June 1 at Sirpur Kagaznagar in Asifabad district, where the Chief Minister is expected to distribute sanction letters to beneficiaries.

In another important decision, the Cabinet gave approval for the construction of one lakh Indiramma houses in Hyderabad’s core urban area , covering 24 Assembly constituencies. The government plans to identify suitable land within the same localities where beneficiaries currently reside, especially for poor and middle-class families without house sites.

Officials informed the Cabinet that surveys had identified nearly 15,000 families still living in thatched huts across Telangana. The government decided to prioritise these families for housing assistance under the scheme.

The Cabinet also approved the Next-Generation Life Sciences Policy 2026–30 , unveiled earlier by Chief Minister Revanth Reddy at the World Economic Forum in Davos. The policy aims to attract 25 billion US dollars (around Rs.2.1 lakh crore) in investments and generate employment for five lakh people over the next five years.

The government expects the policy to help position Telangana among the top five global life sciences hubs by 2030 .

Apart from welfare and industrial initiatives, the Cabinet allocated Rs.1,000 crore for works related to the 2027 Godavari Pushkaralu and approved proposals prepared by Telangana DISCOMs to join the Centre’s Revamped Distribution Sector Scheme (RDSS) .

The state government also sanctioned Rs.587 crore towards land acquisition, rehabilitation and infrastructure development for the Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme , one of Telangana’s key irrigation projects.