Telangana Rythu Sangham demands green channel for Sitarama project fund release

Rythu Sangham district secretary Bonthu Rambabu has urged the Telangana government to set up a green channel for fund release to complete the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme. He said the current allocation is far below the revised project estimate of ₹19,325 crore.

Khammam: Telangana Rythu Sangham district secretary Bonthu Rambabu has urged the State government to establish a green channel for the timely release of funds for the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme.

Speaking at a meeting on Thursday, Rambabu said the previous government had initiated the Sitarama project with an estimated cost of ₹13,057 crore, which the current Congress government later revised to ₹19,325 crore, with approval from the State Cabinet.

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However, the allocation in the 2025–26 State Budget for the project stood at only ₹665 crore. Rambabu noted that the revised estimate involved an increase of ₹6,268 crore, highlighting a significant gap between the budgetary allocation and the required funding.

He demanded that the funds allocation be increased proportionally with the revised estimate and reminded that on August 15, 2024, during the Wyra Rythu Sambaralu Sabha, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy had committed to completing the Sitarama project by August 15, 2026, aiming to irrigate around 7 lakh acres of cultivable land in the erstwhile Khammam district.

Rambabu said a green channel mechanism must be set up immediately to ensure timely completion of the project and fulfill the promise made to farmers.