Telangana CM meets PM, seeks Rs 20,000 cr for Kaleshwaram
New Delhi, June 15: Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi and urged him to provide Rs 20,000 crore for the Kaleshwaram lift irrigation project being built across the Godavari river.
During the hour-long meeting, the Chief Minister brought to the notice of the Prime Minister various demands pending with the Central government since the formation of the state four years ago.
Stating that Kaleshwaram is a lifeline for Telangana, Rao said the project being built at an estimated cost of Rs 80,000 crore aims to irrigate 18 lakh acres across 20 districts and provide water for drinking and industrial purposes.
The Chief Minister told Modi that in addition to the Rs 25,000 crore budgetary provision for the project, the state government obtained Rs 22,000 crore loans from financial institutions. He urged Modi to extend financial help of Rs 20,000 crore.
This was Rao's first meeting with Modi since the former floated the idea of a federal front as an alternative to both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief has met leaders of various regional parties in the past few months to mobilize support for the proposed front.
KCR, as the TRS chief is popularly known, submitted 10 memorandums to Modi, listing various pending issues. According to the Chief Minister's Office, the Prime Minister responded positively to the issues raised by him.
KCR told Modi that even four years after the formation of Telangana, the state is yet to have its own high court and requested one at the earliest.
The TRS chief informed him that out of 29 judges of the common high court at Hyderabad for both the Telugu states, only six are from Telangana.
"The Union Law Minister had given an assurance on the floor of Parliament to expedite the process to have a separate high court. The process may be expedited, and the Law Ministry may be directed to take immediate steps for establishment of separate high court for the residuary state of Andhra Pradesh without any further delay," he said.
KCR sought adequate funds to the state to develop the Information Technology Investment Region (ITIR) in Hyderabad, as per the already approved scheme.
Expressing dismay over Union Information Technology Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad's recent statement that the Central government has dropped the ITIR scheme, KCR said if the government does not implement the ITIR scheme even after launching it five years ago, it will dent the credibility of the government.
He pointed out that the state government had submitted a Detailed Project Report (DPR) delineating land parcels to be covered under ITIR and identifying trunk Infrastructure Projects related to the land parcels. Some anchor companies have already started setting up industries.
KCR urged Modi to issue a new Presidential Order, incorporating the new zonal system finalized by the state government. The zonal system is aimed at ensuring equitable opportunities to the people belonging to different parts of the state.
Stating that the railway network in Telangana is below the national average, KCR called for early completion of various critical railway projects.
The TRS chief also urged the Prime Minister to direct the Defence Ministry to expedite the proposal of transfer of defence lands for construction of new Secretariat building and for the Strategic Road Development project.
KCR called for sanctioning an Indian Institute of Management for Telangana and for setting up an Indian Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) in Karimnagar.
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K'taka govt mulls over suit against Maharashtra counterpart over "false" ads on ''guarantee'' scheme
Bengaluru (PTI): Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Monday said the government was mulling over filing a suit against its counterpart in poll-bound Maharashtra for allegedly issuing false advertisements regarding his administration's flagship 'guarantee' schemes.
He said legal action is being explored against the Mahayuti government.
"It is only to mislead the people of Maharashtra in order to get the votes. He (PM) is telling lies. False advertisement is given by Maharashtra government," Siddaramaiah said in response to a question on PM Narendra Modi targeting Karnataka government's guarantee schemes during Maharashtra poll campaign, and whether government is mulling legal action against alleged misinformation about the schemes.
"I'm getting the issue examined about taking legal action. We are thinking about filing a suit against the Maharashtra government, because they have given false advertisements. We are thinking," he told reporters here.
The Karnataka government is spending Rs 56,000 crore a year on guarantee schemes, the Chief Minister said. "They (BJP) say we don't have money. Why are such schemes not being implemented in other states where BJP is in power?" he asked.
Siddaramaiah on Saturday too had said he was considering taking legal action against the BJP’s Maharashtra unit alleging it 'spread lies' about the five guarantees implemented by his government.
Questioning whether JD(S)' H D Kumaraswamy had given guarantee schemes while in power, Siddaramaiah asked as to what moral rights he has to comment on Congress government's guarantee schemes.
"Let Kumaraswamy (Union Minister and former Chief Minister) speak in Delhi, Karnataka's tax contribution is Rs 4.5 lakh crore per year , but what we get is Rs 59,000-60,000 crore. If we give Rs 1, what we get back is 14 paise. Remaining money is with the centre, let him (Kumaraswamy) get more funds for the state, instead of just speaking," he said.
He asked whether Kumaraswamy and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda have ever questioned the Centre's "injustice" to the State.
Noting that loan given to farmers of the state by NABARD (National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development) has come down by 58 per cent this year, the CM asked as to "what are the Union Ministers from the state -- Kumaraswamy and Pralhad Joshi -- doing."
"I have written a letter to Prime Minister and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman not to reduce the amount, stating that it will be unfair to farmers -- don't do it," he said, adding that the state government is giving interest free loan to farmers up to Rs 5 lakh and only 3 per cent interest up to Rs 15 lakh.
Asking the media not to create confusion regarding Below Poverty Line (BPL) ration cards, the Chief Minister stressed that only ineligible ones will be cancelled.
"We want the poor to get the benefits...who is giving the 'Anna Bhagya' (free rice) scheme? Did BJP or JD(S) ever give? Siddaramaiah did it as the Chief Minister...BJP only speaks....." he added.
