Release of ₹ 20,000 crore sought for irrigation projects

Finance Department under pressure to make adquate allotments to speed up the work

Medak,Telangana,06/08/2017:Kaleshwaram Project Works Tunnels pump house Constructing project Packages in Karimangar Dist..... ----PHOTO: Mohd Arif Medak,Telangana,06/08/2017:Kaleshwaram Project Works Tunnels pump house Constructing project Packages in Karimangar Dist..... ----PHOTO: Mohd Arif

In line with the Telangana government’s resolve to speed up irrigation projects including the flagship Kaleswaram project, for which all important clearances were accorded recently, the Irrigation Department has sought ₹ 20,000 crore from the Finance Department.

A proposal was sent for the release of ₹20,000 crore over six months between December and June after the Chief Minister advanced the release of water from Kaleswaram lift irrigation project from one of the links. The original schedule was December 2018, but it has been advanced to June 2018 to make water available from the next Kharif season.

A budgetary allocation of ₹ 25,000 crore was made for the irrigation sector for the current financial year 2017-18 and already works worth ₹15,000 crore were executed for various irrigation projects. The finance department could release bills for ₹11,000 crore and bills worth ₹4,000 crore were pending, according to sources. “We are working out to what extent the fresh demand of irrigation department can be accommodated,” sources added.

Of the ₹11,000 crore released so far, the Government has raised ₹4,000 crore from the banks.

The finance department is also under pressure to release fee reimbursement dues. However, official sources said that the government was being unfairly targeted on the issue of fee reimbursement. “There is no clarity as yet on the number of students and courses they are opting for the year 2017-18. Normally data related to number of eligible students, course-wise strength of students from the colleges will be clear only in December,” they said.

While ₹ 2,200 crore is allocated in the budget under the fee reimbursement, it has been the practice to clear the dues of previous year and pay part of the current year amount in the last quarter. For the last seven to eight years, this had been the practice, they said.

The finance department also had to make provision for ₹1,200 crore on account of hike in remuneration to Anganwadi workers, Anganwadi assistants, ANMs, Contract workers, village revenue assistants and the latest hike in salaries of Home Guards.