
Government committed to welfare of retired RTC staff: Telangana minister Ponnam Prabhakar
HYDERABAD: The state government is committed to the welfare of retired Road Transport Corporation (RTC) officials and staff and it will continue to support the RTC management in this regard, said Transport and BC Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar. He stated that pending issues related to RTC employees are being resolved in a phased manner.
On Sunday, the minister attended the fifth annual meeting of the TGSRTC Retired Officers Welfare Association in Lakdikapul as the chief guest. He, along with the RTC Managing Director, VC Sajjanar, felicitated retired RTC employees who have completed 90 years of age.
Speaking on the occasion, Ponnam Prabhakar praised the retired officers and employees for their significant service towards the improvement of the public transport system. He emphasised that the organisation is moving forward with three priorities: employee welfare, providing comfortable transport services to the public and protecting the organisation.
The minister stated that over the past year, the RTC has initiated the purchase of new buses, and recruitment processes are underway to match the acquisition of new buses.
Ponnam Prabhakar said that the implementation of the Mahalakshmi Scheme by the government has been strengthening RTC financially. He asserted that the government is taking all necessary measures to make Telangana RTC the number one organisation in the country.
Later, Sajjanar said that several innovative initiatives have been introduced in RTC based on the suggestions and advice of retired employees. Keeping in mind the health of both regular and retired RTC staff, the TGSRTC Tarnaka Hospital has been developed into a super-specialty hospital, offering all types of medical services, he added.
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Hans India
09-06-2025
- Hans India
Thousands throng Bathini's famed ‘Fish Prasadam' at Nampally
Hyderabad: Thousands of Asthma patients and persons with breathing issues thronged to the Exhibition Grounds on Sunday to take the famed 'Fish Prasadam' being provided by the Bathini family on the occasion of Mrigashira Karte. Close to 80,000 people consumed the prasadam by midnight and the number is expected to cross over a lakh by Monday afternoon. A septuagenarian died of cardiac arrest while waiting for his turn in the queue lines during the distribution of Prasadam. As part of the century-old tradition, the Bathini Goud's family performed pooja in the wee hours and started the distribution at 9.30 am. Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar along with PCC president Mahesh Kumar Goud, Fisheries Corporation Chairman M Sai Kumar and others inaugurated the distribution of Fish Prasadam. The herbal medicine in the form of a paste along with a Murrel fish is inserted into the patient's mouth. If taken for four consecutive years, the medicine cures asthma, believe many patients. This has been challenged by the scientists, rationalists and other experts. Though the number has come down during the last few years, the patients' tryst with the Prasadam is not dying down as there were several who have come for three to four times consecutively. The Prasadam was not distributed during the COVID pandemic period. The administration had made elaborate arrangements for seamless experience for the asthma patients. The premises were barricaded with 42 queue lines with separate enclosures to manage the crowd. There was heavy police bandobust at the Exhibition Grounds maintaining the queue lines. People not only from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, but several aged persons came from states like Maharashtra, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and other places also arrived, hoping to getting cured from the long pending ailment. Some of them had reached late night on Saturday. While the government provided fish, drinking water, lighting, special buses and other infrastructure, the philanthropist organisations also provided helping hands by organising food, tea and other stalls. The Badrivishal Pannalal Pitti Trust, which has been associated with the Bhathini family, Agarwal Samaj, Kanyakubz Samaj organised a mega food camp for the needy. Similarly, the Jaiswal Samaj and Jadhav Seva Mahila mandal had offered evening snacks to the visitors. Speaking during the occasion, Ponnam Prabhakar said that the Bathini family has been doing a great service to mankind. He said that the family which has been serving the patients should be provided Padmashri by the Centre. He said that the Congress government in the State was also supporting this programme by involving eleven departments. He lauded the Badrivishal Pannalal Pitti Trust for their services, stating that the organisation started their work a week before and provided all the necessary support to the visitors. Recalling his association with the Bathini family since 1995, PCC Chief Mahesh Goud said he had suffered with asthma and recovered after taking the Fish Prasadam. He said that several Pharma companies tried to lure and also threatened them but the family did not buckle under pressure and continued their services. He said that the state government should also recognise their services.


Time of India
08-06-2025
- Time of India
Thousands flock to Nampally for 170-yr-old fish prasadam tradition
Hyderabad: As part of a 170-year-old tradition, tens of thousands of devotees assembled at the Nampally Exhibition Grounds on Sunday to receive the famous fish prasadam on the occasion of Mrigasira Karte. This annual ritual is said to offer relief from respiratory ailments like asthma and bronchitis. The event, which began at 11 am, was inaugurated by transport minister Ponnam Prabhakar. 'For 170 years, the Bathini family has been providing fish prasadam to lakhs. What began in Doodh Bowli has now evolved into a massive event,' he said. The state's fisheries department reported over 50,000 tokens sold by 9 pm. 'We initially supplied 75,000 live murrel fish and are ready with another 75,000 if required,' said S Murali Krishna, joint director (planning). A total of 370 staff were deployed in three shifts, managing 16 token counters and 32 prasadam distribution counters. Organisers are expecting 4 to 5 lakh people this year—an estimated 10–15% increase over last year's turnout of 3.5 lakh. People from across India, including parents with young children, stood in long queues for hours to receive the herbal remedy. The prasadam, offered free of cost by the Bathini Goud family, consists of a secret herbal paste filled into the mouth of a live fingerling murrel, which is then swallowed by the recipient. The offering comes in three forms: machli (fish with full yellow paste), kaarti (milder mix), and bellam (jaggery-based). Bathini Amarnath Goud, great-grandson of the original practitioner Bathini Veeranna Goud, told TOI, 'A sage gave the herbal formula to my ancestor on the condition that it must never be sold. We have upheld that vow ever since.'


News18
08-06-2025
- News18
'Fish prasadam' distributed to asthma patients in Hyderabad
Hyderabad, Jun 8 (PTI) The famed 'fish prasadam', believed by many to be a cure for asthma, was distributed here on Sunday by the city-based Bathini family. Telangana Backward Classes Welfare Minister Ponnam Prabhakar, state Congress president and MLC B Mahesh Kumar Goud and other leaders inaugurated the event at the Exhibition Grounds here this morning. The 'fish prasadam' (murrel fish stuffed with herbal paste) is administered annually on the day of 'Mrigasira Karthi' by the city-based Bathini family for over a century now. The formula of the 'fish prasadam' is believed to have been passed on to a family elder by a holy man. The medicinal claims of the prasadam have often been questioned by scientists, rationalists and health experts. However, thousands of people arrive in the city every year to receive the 'prasadam'. PTI SJR ROH