KCR in Delhi to meet Modi on drought, to press PM for funds

Hyderabad: Making Telangana drought-free and eradicating the state’s drinking water problem in three years will be on the top of Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s agenda during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday.

Mr Rao, who will be accompanied by senior state officials including those from the irrigation department, will lay stress on permanent measures to tackle drought and drinking water problems instead of temporary measures like supplying water through tankers, trains and giving compensation to drought-affected farmers year after year.

KCR to press PM for funds

Drought will be top on Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s agenda during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi on Tuesday.

CMO sources said Mr Rao will bring to the PM’s notice that if the Centre provides financial assistance to his government’s Mission Bhagiratha, Mission Kakatiya and irrigation projects, TS will become drought-free in three years.

The PM had met the CMs of Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra etc., last week on the drought issue and pointers from these meetings have come in handy for Mr Rao.

The PM suggested to the CMs to give priority to revival of small water bodies like tanks, lakes etc., and to focus on ensuring permanent solutions to the drinking water issue in states for which the Centre was willing to extend maximum financial assistance.

Interestingly, TS is already ahead of the other states in implementing both of the PM’s suggestions, thanks to Mission Kakatiya and Mission Bhagiratha. While the first phase of Mission Kakatiya, to revive 9,500 tanks, was completed last year, Phase-II, to revive another 9,500, is going on this year.

The Rs 40,000-crore Mission Bhagiratha, to supply tap water to each and every household in three years, has already started delivering results in parts of Medak and will soon cover parts of Warangal, Nalgonda and Ranga Reddy.

The CM has readied reports on the progress of both these projects which will be submitted to the PM and if possible, Mr Rao will also give a PowerPoint presentation.

Mr Rao will seek 50 per cent central funding for the Rs 25,000-crore Mission Kakatiya and the Rs 40,000-crore Mission Bhagiratha to find a permanent solution to the drought and drinking water problem in TS.

Since Sunday, Mr Rao has held a series of meetings with Chief Secretary Rajiv Sharma and senior officials of Irrigation, revenue and panchayat raj departments in light of his meeting with the PM.

Mr Rao will also seek national project status for the Kaleshwaram project, which is aimed at solving irrigation and drinking water woes in TS, on which the state government is incurring nearly Rs 40,000 crore additional expenditure due to redesigning of the Pranahita-Chevella project.