VIJAYAWADA: There has been no delay in reimbursing the money spent on Polavaram project, said Union Minister of State for Jal Shakti Bishweswar Tudu. In a written reply to a question raised by YSRC MP V Vijayasai Reddy, he said funding for the Polavaram Irrigation Project (PIP) is being undertaken in line with the Ministry of Finance Office Memorandum (OM) dated September 30, 2016.
The OM mandates the Government of India to provide 100% of the remaining cost of the irrigation component of the project only for the period starting from April 1, 2014 to the extent of the cost of the irrigation component on that date.
The Centre has been reimbursing, from time to time, the expenditure incurred by the State government on the project with effect from April 1, 2014. The reimbursement is being done upon receipt of verified bills and recommendations from the Polavaram Project Authority (PPA) and the Central Water Commission (CWC), he said.
From April 1, 2014 to October, 2022, the overall expenditure incurred by the State government on the project is reported to be Rs 15,970.53 crore. Out of the total, `13,226.04 crore has been found eligible and duly reimbursed. The eligible amounts are being reimbursed to the State government from time to time without any major delay, he explained.