K Chandrasekhar Rao’s Maharashtra return cost state Rs 10.68 lakh

HYDERABAD: The Telangana government on Saturday released Rs 10.68 lakh for the ‘grand welcome’ on August 24 this year that was organized for chief minister K

Chandrasekhar Rao

when he returned from Mumbai after a meeting with his Maharashtra counterpart Devendra Fadnavis .

A Government Order, G.O.RT.No.838 issued by the Youth Advancement, Tourism & Culture (CA) Department on Saturday said an amount of Rs 10,68,000 was sanctioned for the “cultural programmes of different folk art forms with 2,000 artists of Telangana State arranged on 24th August, 2016 at Begumpet Airport” to meet the costs incurred for the “grand welcome to Hon’ble Chief Minister of Telangana.”

Incidentally, the G.O., said the Rs 10.68 lakh would come from funds set aside for “Promotion of Arts and Culture,” and “Cultural Celebrations and Government Music Colleges,” as well as “other charges” and “other expenditure” under the ‘Art and Culture’ head of the state budget.

It may be recalled that the welcome was organised to celebrate Chandrasekhar Rao signing a pact with his Fadnavis on construction of irrigation projects across Godavari river. The chief minister, riding on his special bus along with several of his cabinet colleagues, had addressed a large gathering at the airport after the welcome before his convoy left for his camp office-cum-residence in Greenlands.

Saturday’s government order said that the funds were being released following information from the director, Department of Culture, Hyderabad that the cultural programmes at the airport were organized “as per the instructions of Hon’ble Minister Sri T. Srinivas Yadav Garu, who is the in-charge of Hon’ble C.M. welcome committee.”