HYDERABAD: Stating that it will be used entirely for developing human resources, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has asked Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to exempt from the FRBM limit a Rs 30,000 crore loan the state government proposes to obtain for education.
Of the proposed loan amount, Rs 21,000 crore will be used for constructing 105 new institutions, while Rs 9,000 crore will be invested in allied education facilities.
On Thursday, Vikramarka, along with Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao, met the Sitharaman at her North Block office in Delhi. He explained that the loan would be mobilised through a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) and sought central support for the Young India Integrated Residential Schools (YIIRS) project.
He said the state plans to set up 105 technology-enabled residential campuses, each catering to 2,560 students from Classes 5 to 12. These schools would directly benefit 2.7 lakh students and indirectly support another four lakh students through neighbouring government schools.
Vikramarka noted that many existing residential schools for SC, ST, BC and minority students were functioning from rented premises with limited infrastructure.
The YIIRS model, he said, would provide modern classrooms, STEM and AI-based learning, laboratories, nutrition services, sports, arts, health units, staff quarters, and eco-friendly facilities such as solar power and water recycling.He added that 56.33% of Telangana’s population belongs to Backward Classes, 17.43% to Scheduled Castes, and 10.45% to Scheduled Tribes. Despite economic growth, education and nutrition indicators remain weak, leaving intergenerational poverty unaddressed, he added.
He also requested restructuring of loans taken by the previous government at high interest rates and sought an increase in import duty on oil palm to 46 per cent.
Thummala to Centre: Ensure Rs 25K MSP per tonne of oil palm
Khammam: Agriculture Minister Thummala Nageswara Rao met Union Agriculture Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on Thursday and requested that the Centre increase import duty on palm oil to 44% and ensure Rs 25,000 minimum support price (MSP) per tonne of oil palm.
He also urged for the inclusion of Narayanpet, Mulugu, Komarambheem Asifabad, Sangareddy and Bhadradri Kothagudem districts under the PMDDKY. The minister requested exemption of the 12% GST on agricultural machinery and micro-irrigation equipment.
He further urged that subsidies on fertilisers such as phosphorus (P), potassium (K) and sulphur (S) be increased, bringing their prices closer to that of urea.
The minister also met Union Minister Chadrasekhar Pemmasani regarding the drainage project in Raghunathapalem mandal, Khammam district, seeking Rs 110 crore in funding. In a letter submitted to the Centre, he reiterated the request for a waiver of the 12% GST on agricultural machinery, equipment and micro-irrigation systems.