TS Govt schools to benefit from MLA constituency fund

Hyderabad: The Telangana government is likely to make it mandatory for MLAs to contribute 25 per cent of their constituency development fund (CDF) every year to government schools. The aim is to better the education sector in the state.

The government had constituted a four-member cabinet committee headed by education minister Sabitha Indra Reddy and comprising ministers Rama Rao, Harish Rao and Dayakar Rao as members to recommend measures to improve the infrastructure facilities in government-run schools. The committee estimated a requirement of Rs 4,000 crore for the purpose in two years.

However, mobilising such a huge amount has become a challenging task for the state government as it is facing financial constraints due also to the Covid19 pandemic. A proposal before the committee was to get MLAs to allocate 25 per cent of their constituency development fund to government schools.

The state government allocates Rs 5 crore to each MLA every year towards constituency development. As per the new plan, each MLA would allocate Rs 1.25 crore per year to government schools. In this way, Rs 148 crore could be mobilised every year from the 119 MLAs.

Education minister Sabitha said the committee will submit the proposal to the government soon and it will be discussed in the next cabinet meeting for approval.

The state government had announced a Rs 4,000 crore scheme in its budget for 2021-22 to upgrade and modernise the schools run by it. While presenting the budget in March this year, finance minister Harish Rao said, "The government has formulated an education scheme to upgrade and modernise the education sector. It would provide basic amenities in all government schools in the next two years."

The government would construct new buildings, take up repair works and provide necessary furniture, toilets and other facilities. Modern technology will be used to put classrooms on the digital platform.