Bhatti orders depts to settle pending Rs 163 crore Telangana gurukuls, midday meal payments

Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has directed the Finance Department officials to immediately release Rs 163 crore towards pending dues related to SC and Minority Gurukuls. The funds will be used for diet charges, rent and midday meal payments.

On Wednesday evening, the Deputy CM held a review meeting at Praja Bhavan with officials from the Finance Department and Gurukul institutions. During the meeting, he instructed that Rs 51.36 crore be released towards pending diet, rent and cosmetic charges of all SC Gurukuls, hostels and related institutions across the state.

Welfare of minorities

Similarly, he ordered the release of Rs 47.61 crore towards pending diet and rent dues of Minorities’ Gurukuls and educational institutions. In addition, he directed officials to immediately release Rs 63.92 crore in pending payments related to the Midday Meal Scheme.

Recalling that the ‘People’s Government’, upon assuming office, increased diet charges by 40 per cent and cosmetic charges by 200 per cent for Gurukul and hostel students to ensure they receive nutritious, diverse and high-quality food, Bhatti Vikramarka emphasised that administrators must not compromise on quality and must strictly follow the government-prescribed menu.

Regular inspections

He further instructed officials to inspect government educational institutions regularly, as per a fixed calendar, to review the facilities being provided to students. He directed that detailed reports of these visits be submitted promptly by the concerned administrators.

In October, the Deputy CM directed officials to immediately clear all pending dues related to Gurukul schools, KGBV (Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalayas) schools and Best Available Schools Scheme (BASS).

He instructed officials to take immediate action to release approximately Rs 92 crores to ensure that students do not face any inconvenience.

Pending dues affecting quality of infrastructure, meals

The accumulated pending dues—related to essential services like mess charges, rent charges and cosmetic charges—had been a significant issue, particularly under the previous administration of BRS, causing severe financial strain on the institutions and their suppliers.

Financial Distress: Reports indicated that payments to suppliers for daily necessities and food in Gurukul schools were pending for several months, severely impacting the quality of meals provided to students and forcing suppliers to take out loans to continue operations.

Infrastructure and Operations: Non-payment of building rents for many Gurukul schools had allegedly led to the threat of closures and lockouts, jeopardising the education of thousands of students from marginalised communities.

Best Available Schools Scheme (BASS): Private schools participating in the BASS scheme, which provides corporate-level education to SC/ST students, have been struggling due to the non-release of scholarship/reimbursement dues, with some managements even turning away students in the past due to financial unsustainability. The total pending scholarship dues for BASS alone were reportedly a large sum.