Gross neglect of TG, fumes CM

Hyderabad: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy said that the Telangana government got a raw deal in the Union Budget presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday. He said he was deeply disappointed over lack of recognition to Telangana in the budget and the Centre’s favoritism towards the BJP-ruled states in allocations.

The CM held a meeting with the officials of the finance department and reviewed the allocations in the Union Budget.

The officials took to his notice that the Centre did not allocate funds to any major project proposed by the state government.

The CM observed that that while Sitharaman committed funds for the development of greenfield airports in Bihar and announced the launch of a modified UDAN scheme to enhance regional connectivity, there was no mention of support for Warangal airport.

“Telangana's present reliance on a single operational airport in Hyderabad places a significant strain on its aviation infrastructure. Development of Warangal airport could alleviate this pressure, cater to the growing demand for air travel in the region, and promote economic development in the state,” he said.

The officials said that Telangana is a national leader in the area of Artificial Intelligence, with a dedicated AI Mission (T-AIM) in partnership with global industry giants such as NVIDIA, Intel, and Adobe. This unique combination positions the state as an ideal location for establishing Centers of Excellence in AI.

However, these critical factors were ignored in setting up of 3 such centers so far by the Centre. It was felt that this oversight would be rectified in the selection process for the Centers of Excellence in AI announced in the 2025-26 budget, but it was not to be.