Centre urged to clear all pending proposals

New Delhi: Forest Minister Jogu Ramanna here on Wednesday met several Union Ministers and urged them to clear pending proposals pertaining to Adilabad in particular and the State in general.

Accompanied by MP Nagesh and Special Representative of the State Government to Delhi S Venugopala Chari, he urged the Centre to help the State set-up a livestock demonstration farm in Adilabad at a cost of Rs 185 crore. He urged the Centre to release Rs 125 crore of its share as the State government was ready to release Rs 45 crore of its share. Ankush NGO had come forward to donate Rs 45 crore for the project, he said. The proposal was pending with the Centre since last year, he said.

He told the media that he pleaded for establishment of a Science Centre (Category-I) in Karimnagar town. There would be a review meeting in Hyderabad, Ramanna said, in which Union Minister Dr Mahesh Sharma would take part and the issue would be clinched during the period.

In his meeting with Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Tawarchand Gehlot, Ramanna urged the Minister to release funds for new BC hostels in the State and for post-metric scholarships. Similarly, he said, he sought inclusion of all the BC castes in the OBC group. The State had listed 113 castes as BCs but only 87 had been included in the list. The Union Minister had assured that the OBC Commission would look into the issue, he said.

In his meeting with the Union Minister for Tourism Kannanthan Alphonse, Ramanna urged the former to help the State develop Kuntala and Pochhera waterfalls. The State government had submitted a Rs 141 crore proposal for the same and had kept aside Rs 20 crore.

He also pleaded for revival of CCI and Ramagundem Fertilizers' Factory. S Venugopala Chari criticised the Congress and Communist leadership of Telangana for opposing the revolutionary step of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao in providing round-the-clock power supply to farmers in rural areas.