18-05-2025
State government held back Rs 300 crore central funds of tribals: Godem Nagesh
Hyderabad: BJP MP Godem Nagesh stated that the Centre has released Rs 300 crore in funds for tribals and Adivasis of Telangana. However, the state government has not disbursed these funds to the districts, preventing them from reaching the tribals for the past five to six months.
Addressing the media on Saturday, he expressed concern that the Congress party government might be diverting these funds intended for the poor tribals for its programs. 'The Kolams, Thoti, and Chenchu tribals have taken loans since last year to begin house construction. Yet, the state government has not released the funds that should have been allocated to them,' he said.
Additionally, despite the academic year ending, the state government has not provided scholarships that were supposed to be distributed to tribal students, even though the central government released these funds last October.
The MP emphasized that under Article 275(1), residential and ashram schools should be developed with the funds provided by the Central Government, and fundamental changes should be made to the education system. The Centre is also assisting with skill development for students. However, the state government is retaining these funds in its account and has not allocated any money to ashram schools and residential schools.
Furthermore, though the Centre released Rs 5 crore for the Tribal Research Institute, the state government has not transferred these funds to the Tribal Welfare Agencies.
Moreover, on March 24, the Centre allocated Rs 16 crore to develop basic infrastructure in villages under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Yojana. Yet, after two months, the state government has not disbursed these funds.
Also, the Centre has provided Rs 98 crore for skill development and institutional development. However, the state government has not utilized any of this amount. 'In total, the state government has retained more than Rs 300 crore in funds released by the Centre in its account,' he pointed out.
He criticized the Congress government for claiming a lack of funds and questioned why, if the Centre has allocated Rs 300 crore, these funds have not been sent to the districts. 'Were they diverted for other purposes?' he asked. Accusing the Congress government of failing the tribals in Telangana, he demanded that the state government immediately release the funds allocated by the central government to benefit the poor tribals.
