KRMB still in the grips of funding issues and staff shortage

The Board has urged both States to expedite their contributions to ensure smooth operations.

Hyderabad: The Krishna River Management Board (KRMB) is currently facing serious financial challenges once again, as highlighted during all its recent meetings. The Board approved a budget of Rs.23.17 crore for the fiscal year 2024-25, but the contributions from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana have fallen short of expectations.Against the approved budget, AP has contributed Rs.3.35 crore, while Telangana has shared Rs.7.43 crore. This leaves a balance of Rs.8.23 crore to be shared by the AP government and Rs.4.15 crore by Telangana.

The Board has urged both States to expedite their contributions to ensure smooth operations. Established under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act 2014, KRMB is an autonomous body empowered to employ necessary staff and regulate their service conditions. However, the Board has faced challenges in securing funds from the union government and relying solely on contributions from the successor states.

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During the Board meeting on June 4, 2020, it was decided to provide additional allowances to all KRMB employees, similar to those given to staff in the inter-state water resources wing of the government of Telangana. Despite approval from the board, the Ministry of Jal Shakti raised objections, stating that KRMB could not regulate incentives for employees whose services have been drafted from both the States and the Centre. The Board reaffirmed its decision during the 15th meeting, emphasizing its authority on this aspect under Section 88(C) of the Act. But the financial strain has led to uncertainties regarding the payment of salaries and allowances for KRMB staff. The Board is considering ways to mount pressure on the state governments to resolve the funding issues and ensure the smooth functioning of its operations.

KRMB is also facing a dearth of staff. According to Section 88 (C) of the AP Reorganization Act 2014, KRMB is empowered to make regulations for the appointment and regulation of the conditions of service of its officers and staff. However, the Board has not yet approved specific appointment and regulation rules for selecting candidates on deputation from the states.There are 34 sanctioned posts in KRMB, with several key vacancies remaining unfilled. The current vacancies include- superintending engineer (1), executive engineer (EE) / deputy director (2), deputy executive engineer and assistant director (20), besides ten other posts. The workload in the administration and operations wings has been increasing due to various instructions from the ministry of Jal Shakti and other governmental bodies.