CM Revanth Reddy, Dy CM Bhatti Vikramarka, meet PM Modi; ask Centre to pay pending bifurcation dues

Hyderabad: Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy and Deputy chief minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka met prime minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi to discuss the assurances for Telangana regarding bifurcation from the erstwhile united Andhra Pradesh, a part of the State Redistribution Act.

“We asked the Centre to grant national status to projects and funds under the state reorganization act. Funds from the Central government will help the state which is reeling under the debt crises,” said deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka.

With the Congress government in Telangana claiming that the state is under a debt of Rs 6,21,000 crores, the State government said it requires funds to function and also carry out its promised welfare schemes.

National Status for projects, pending funds

During the meeting in Delhi with PM Modi, the state leaders discussed on the funds that are due from the Centre to the Telangana State. As per the Reorganization Act the Center has released Rs 2250 crores at the rate of Rs 450 crores every year from 2015 to 2021. Chief minister Revanth Reddy and deputy chief minister Bhatti Vikramarka requested to release Rs 1800 crores pending grants from 2019-20, 2021-22, 2022-23, and 2023-24 financial years. They also appealed to the PM to release the pending 15th Finance Commission funds of Rs 2233.54 crores (Rs 129.69 crores for 2022-23 and Rs 1608.85 crores for 2023-24 immediately."

Apart from the reminder to pay pending dues, the Congress government also addressed other issues such as asking the Centre to grant National Status to the Bayyaram steel factory,Kazipet railway coaching and irrigation projects.

The State government wants the Centre to give National Status to the Palamuru Rangareddy project which will make it easier for the center to fund that project and the state government can manage other project works.

“The Palamuru-Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme must be granted National Status. This will allow the State government to complete these projects faster, concentrate on other projects and also use the funds from the Centre for other development works,” said Bhatti.

Other issues addressed to PM

To upgrade 14 national highways in Telangana for which the proposals have already been sent by the state government. So far, only two of them have been approved. Both CM and deputy CM requested to upgrade the remaining 12 national highways.

Center approved the establishment of a Tribal University in Mulugu for which the admissions should be allowed in the academic year 2023-24.

The ITIR project of Hyderabad was put in cold storage in 2014 and the present government requested to take it up immediately.

Requested Kakatiya Mega Textile Park in Warangal to be declared as Green field project and release funds. In the PM Mitra program, seven mega textile parks have been identified, the park is identified as brown park due to which adequate funds have not been released.

Establish IIM in Telangana as the central government declared that an IIM will be in every state in the country. The state government has already identified a space for setting up IIM if the center wants.

There are two Sainik Schools in Andhra Pradesh and one Sainik school must be established in Secunderabad Cantonment.

Requested to resolve the pending issues of the division of government establishments under schedule nine and the issues of other organizations under schedule 10 as per the Reorganization Act.

Congress criticises BRS Sweda Patra

Bharat Rashtra Samithi senior leader KT Rama Rao gave a PowerPoint presentation in the State Legislative Assembly on how the BRS government created assets for Rs 50 lakh crores when it was in power. This has come under sharp criticism from the Congress party.

Senior Congress leaders stated that their white paper on the financial situation has been prepared by bureaucrats of the state i.e., it is the government officials who have given the picture of debt crises.

“KTR in his presentation stated that Kaleshwaram is amazing and if there is something wrong with Medigadda barrage it should be corrected. But it was during their time that the barrage pillars sunk. Is KTR daydreaming without regretting his party’s wrongdoings? The state has to now pay for it,” G Niranjan, Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee senior vice president and chairman said.

Paper politics

With the white paper of the Congress party and Sweda Patra of BRS, the politics of both parties are set to woo voters for Lok Sabha 2024. Congress party stated that they are transparent and open to people about the exact situation in the state, while BRS claimed that it is an attempt to defame the good work done by them and the wealth and recognition generated for the state.