Telangana is paying Rs 15,000 crore in interest on irrigation loans taken by BRS regime, says irrigation minister Uttam Kumar Reddy

Hyderabad: Irrigation minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy said that the state is paying around Rs 15,000 crore annually in interest on loans taken by the previous BRS govt for various irrigation projects. He said that these loans, taken at higher interest rates, were short-term, and since many projects were delayed and the planned irrigation areas (ayacut) were not created, loan repayment began immediately.

Uttam reaffirmed the state’s commitment to completing major irrigation projects, including the Pranahitha-Chevella project at Thummudihatti and the Srisailam Left Bank Canal project. While acknowledging temporary setbacks with the SLBC tunnel works, he assured the assembly that the project would be finished. Regarding the Medigadda barrage and two others, the minister said that the state is awaiting a report from the National Dam Safety Authority and a one-man commission to take necessary action against those responsible.

Addressing concerns raised by some MLAs about the neglect of north Telangana irrigation projects, Uttam clarified that the govt had categorised pending projects and prioritised those that could be completed with minimal expenditure. He assured BJP legislator Palvai Harish Babu that projects in his constituency would be addressed and invited other MLAs to bring their projects to the govt’s attention.

Fine rice from March 30

Uttam announced that ration shops would soon offer more than just rice like essential commodities. From April, additional beneficiaries will receive rice under existing ration cards, and 22 lakh metric tonnes of rice would be distributed to 89 lakh cardholders. The minister also revealed that ration cardholders would soon be able to collect their rice from any shop statewide.

Uttam highlighted that Telangana is the only state where 84% of the population is covered under food security. To address concerns about the quality of rice, the govt will replace coarse rice with fine rice to improve access, with chief minister A Revanth Reddy launching the scheme on March 30, he added.