KHAMMAM: Independence Day was a busy, yet quite memorable, day for Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy who released Rs 5,644.24 crore as the third tranche of the Rs 2 lakh crop loan waiver scheme, inaugurated the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme in Pusugudem of Bhadradri-Kothagudem district and proceeded to depart for Delhi on Thursday evening for a two-day tour where he will meet representatives of the Foxconn group as well as top Congress leaders.
With the release of the third tranche, the state government has fulfilled the promise made by the Congress of waiving farm loans up to Rs 2 lakh within eight months after coming to power.
The state government had announced that it would waive crop loans of around 32.50 lakh farmers by spending Rs 31,000 crore. Farmers who have taken loans over Rs 2 lakh would have to wait for relief from their debts.
SRLIP will be completed by Aug 2026: CM
“The Telangana government is the only government that has directly deposited Rs 18,000 crore in the bank accounts of farmers in 27 days,” the chief minister told a public meeting in Wyra.
He also said that his government would complete the construction of Sita Rama Lift Irrigation Project (SRLIP) by August 2026 and provide water to seven lakh acres in the erstwhile Khammam district.
After releasing the third tranche of the loan waiver, Revanth demanded that BRS leader and former minister T Harish Rao, resign as an MLA if he had any shame as the government had fulfilled its promise. “If you don’t resign, at least rub your nose on the ground at the Martyrs Memorial and apologise to the farmers of Telangana,” Revanth told Harish Rao.
He said that the government would provide 32 tmcft of water to fields of Khammam farmers from the Munneru river through gravity canals and that after analysing the possibilities, the plan was to construct a 15 tmcft capacity reservoir in Dornakal constituency which would receive water from the Sitarama project.
Attacking the BRS, the chief minister said that even though the party got no seats in the Lok Sabha elections, the mentality of its leaders has not changed. “The BRS would have won at least one seat if the people considered it as a political party. Now, the BRS is begging for alms at the Banjara Hills bus stand,” Revanth said.
He announced that he was ready for a debate on the 10-year rule of the BRS and the eight-month rule of the Congress.
Kalvakuntla family destroyed the state
Earlier, speaking to reporters after inaugurating the pump house of the SitaRama Lift Irrigation Project (SRLIP), Revanth said: “The BRS, during its 10-year rule, destroyed the financial system of Telangana like wild boars damage the crops even after eating to their heart’s content. The BRS pushed the state into debt to such an extent that the Congress government is now being made to pay Rs 6,500 crore interest every month.”
Referring to the additional funds allocated for certain districts, he said: “I am facing pressure from the other districts over allocation of more funds to the erstwhile Khammam district. But with the intention of completing the Sita Rama project, we worked hard for the last six months. What the BRS government could not do in the last 10 years, we did in six months.”
Revanth said that Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy too was facing pressure from erstwhile Nalgonda district over pending projects that are aimed at mitigating fluorosis in villages across these districts.
He alleged that due to BRS leaders’ attitude, the people of Khammam ensured that its candidate lost his deposit in the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Escalated the cost of irrigation project
The CM reiterated Uttam’s statement that the BRS government had escalated the cost of the irrigation project by halting the Rajiv Sagar and starting the Sita Rama project.
“KCR and Harish Rao are making false statements. Both planned to loot thousands of crores in the name of redesigning the project. Rajiv sagar was supposed to be completed at the cost of Rs 1,500 crore. But they planned to construct the Sita Rama project at an estimated cost of Rs 18,000 crore,” he said.
“The KCR government has spent Rs 7,500 crore but did not carry out the work properly. It ate money in the form of commissions for the pump house and motors,” he alleged.