Shankar Rao threatens to quit

HYDERABAD: Textiles minister P Shankar Rao on Monday threatened to quit his post if chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy does not release funds for the loan waiver scheme for handloom weavers by the end of this month.
Addressing the media, the minister said the government is yet to release Rs 200 crore. So far, out of the promised Rs 309 crore, only Rs 100 crore was released.Rao said he would soon ask the CM to relieve him from his post if the funds cannot be released by April 30.
"Without funds, how can a minister perform his duties. What is the need of a minister to look after the welfare of weavers when the government fails to extend cooperation", the minister added.
To a query, Rao denied that he had slapped his private secretary during his tour to coastal Andhra last week. "The reports were meant to malign my image," he said.