Telangana seeks Central assistance of Rs 16,732 crore for rain relief

Telangana has sought Central assistance of Rs 16,732 crore towards losses incurred due to rains across the State. Of this, Rs 11,713 crore is towards pending requests for last year’s rain damage and the remaining Rs 5,018 crore for this year’s recent rains. The State sought Rs 1,500 crore as an immediate requirement for emergency repairs.

A delegation led by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, and Agriculture Minister Tummala Nageswara Rao met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Thursday. They submitted a detailed memorandum seeking Central financial assistance.

The Ministers recalled that last year, due to heavy rains in Khammam and surrounding districts, the State government had sought Rs 11,713 crore in assistance. However, no special funds were released so far, affecting rehabilitation works. This year, the loss was estimated to be Rs 5,018 crore due to heavy rains apart from causing 22 deaths, crop losses, and severe damage to livestock, houses, and



infrastructure across Kamareddy, Medak, Nirmal, and Nizamabad.

The Union Home Minister Amit Shah responded positively to the request and assured that he would depute a Central inter-Ministerial team to Telangana to assess the damages.

Separately, Bhatti Vikramarka also met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and sought special support and FRBM exemption for the Rs 30,000 crore Young India Integrated Residential Schools programme. Of this, Rs 21,000 crore is proposed to be invested in infrastructure and Rs 9,000 crore for supplementary education initiatives, to create a world-class learning environment for underprivileged children.

He urged Sitharaman to exempt the loans raised for the scheme from FRBM limits, terming it a capital investment in human development. The government is planning to establish 105 residential campuses, each hosting around 2,560 students, benefitting nearly 2.7 lakh children directly and four lakh indirectly through support to neighbouring schools.