Harish Rao urges Telangana Congress government to clear pending BAS funds

Blames it for pushing thousands of SC and ST students into uncertainty and leaving school managements in financial distress

Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader and former Minister T Harish Rao criticised the Congress government for failing to release funds under the Best Available Schools (BAS) scheme for the past two years.

He blamed the government for pushing thousands of SC and ST students into uncertainty and left school managements in financial distress.

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In an open letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy here on Friday, Harish Rao said the government’s negligence has become a curse for 25,000 students from marginalised communities.

He pointed out that many schools are struggling to provide basic facilities such as food and accommodation. He said some managements have resorted to pledging household gold to keep the schools running, and tragically, one school owner in Wanaparthy allegedly took his life due to mounting debts.

Started to provide quality education to SC/ST children by the Congress government in erstwhile Andhra Pradesh, the BAS scheme was expanded by the BRS government from 80 to 150 schools, benefiting over 25,000 students annually.

The financial support per student was also increased significantly from Rs 8,000 to Rs 20,000 for day scholars and Rs 20,000 to Rs 42,000 for hostellers during the previous regime. “Further, the BRS government ensured timely release of Rs 130 crore annually, facilitating access to premier institutions such as IITs and IIITs for first-generation learners,” he said.

The BRS leader expressed anguish that despite being both Chief Minister and Education Minister, Revanth Reddy had failed to release the pending Rs 80 crore to these schools for the 2023-24 academic year and has not released any funds for 2024-25 so far.

A previous appeal to Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka had also gone unanswered, he said.

He demanded for an immediate clearance of arrears and continuation of the scheme to ensure social justice for students from weaker sections.