State to get Central tribal varsity, at last

SZC meeting told that proposal is placed before Union Cabinet for its approval

The stage appears to be finally cleared for setting up tribal university in the State.

Setting up of a Central tribal university at Jakaram in Mulug district has been assured in the AP Reorganisation Act 2014, but the assurance has remained unresolved eight years after the bifurcation of the State. The State flagged the issue yet again during the meeting of the standing committee of southern zonal council in Kerala on Saturday.

Representatives of the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT) informed that the DoPT has followed up the issue with the Ministry of Home Affairs and other Ministries concerned. Since the detailed project report and other formalities had been completed, the issue has been placed before the Union Cabinet for its approval. The Cabinet is likely to take a decision on the issue during its next meeting slated next month.

The State was assured that the pending dues of ₹25 crore for the horticulture university would be cleared soon. The assurance followed Finance and State Reorganisation Affairs special chief secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao’s request for expeditious release of funds for the horticulture varsity. The Ministry of Home Affairs assured that the Indian Council of Agriculture Research had been directed the release the pending amounts. ICAR on its part informed that works pertaining to the university had been completed and audit process was underway and the balance funds would be released once the process was completed.

Mr. Ramakrishna Rao is understood to have insisted on expeditious steps for improvement of road connectivity to backward areas in he State by the National Highways Authority of India. The NHAI representatives reportedly gave a presentation showing that Telangana has higher length of national highways as compared with the national average, but assured that works were under way to further enhance connectivity in the State.

The Southern Zonal Council is reported to have dropped 24 out of the 89 items including three pertaining to Telangana from the agenda during its marathon meeting after giving assurances that concrete steps would be initiated to resolve them. The member States and union territories had been asked to come up with new issues if any before the 30th meeting of the SZC slated in August this year.

Mr. Ramakrishna Rao who led the delegation from the State wanted the SZC meeting in August take up pending issues like setting up of integrated steel factory in Bayyaram in Khammam district and rail coach factory in Kazipet. The Union Home Ministry is learnt to have assured him that notices would be sent to the concerned Ministries for their explanation on the pending issues.