Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka announced on Tuesday that all pending vacancies of doctors and paramedical staff in regional hospitals under Singareni will be completely filled by March 2026. Responding to questions raised by members during the discussion on Singareni in the Assembly on Tuesday, the Deputy Chief Minister stated that at present 11 contract doctors are working and that a notification has already been issued for the recruitment of 32 doctors. 

He also informed that the internal recruitment process for 176 paramedical staff is currently underway. The Deputy Chief Minister said the retired employees are being provided with medicines through Singareni hospitals under the CPRMS scheme, with a facility to avail medicines up to a value of Rs 8 lakh and terminal benefits are also being extended. Regarding housing for retired employees, he stated that the issue of allocating plots for house construction on vacant Singareni lands would be discussed by the boards and a decision would be taken. 

He expressed concern that due to the new policies being followed by the Central government, coal blocks in the state are being auctioned instead of being directly allocated to Singareni, allowing private agencies to enter the sector. Bhatti Vikramarka stated that in the past, Singareni lost certain coal blocks due to non-participation in auctions. However, after the Congress government came to power, Singareni was encouraged to participate directly in auctions, enabling it to secure some coal blocks, he said. 

The Deputy Chief Minister pointed out that private companies are currently supplying coal in the market at prices lower than that of Singareni coal, and consumers naturally prefer to purchase coal at lower prices. This situation, he said, is impacting Singareni’s coal sales. To deliberate on measures required for the survival of Singareni and the welfare of its workers, Bhatti Vikramarka announced that a high-level meeting would be convened within ten days of the conclusion of the Assembly session.