Bhatti Vikramarka Meets FM Sitharaman, Seeks ₹5,000 Cr Central Aid for Education, Infra Push

In a major push to secure additional financial support for Telangana’s development agenda, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka on Wednesday met Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi and sought enhanced central assistance for infrastructure expansion and education sector reforms. The meeting focused on Telangana’s plans to accelerate capital expenditure, strengthen public institutions and secure financial flexibility for long-term development projects.

During the discussions, Bhatti Vikramarka urged the Centre to sanction an additional ₹5,000 crore under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI) . He thanked the Union government for the financial support already extended to Telangana through interest-free loans provided under the scheme and noted that the state had received ₹4,208 crore for the 2025–26 financial year. However, he said Telangana required further assistance to continue its large-scale infrastructure and welfare programmes.

The Deputy Chief Minister informed the Union Finance Minister that the state was facing increasing fiscal pressure due to borrowings raised through special purpose entities between 2014 and 2023, along with growing debt repayment obligations. Despite these challenges, he said the government was continuing to prioritise investments in education, healthcare, rural infrastructure and human resource development .

A major highlight of the meeting was Telangana’s ambitious ₹30,000 crore education transformation plan , which the state government describes as one of its flagship long-term initiatives. Under the programme, Telangana plans to establish 105 “Young India Integrated Residential Schools” campuses across the state with an estimated investment of ₹21,000 crore . Another ₹9,000 crore will be spent on improving digital and physical infrastructure in government junior colleges, degree colleges and technical education institutions.

Bhatti Vikramarka also thanked the Department of Economic Affairs for approving two key education infrastructure projects backed by international financial institutions. These include a ₹4,049.11 crore project supported by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the ₹4,903.44 crore Telangana Education Infrastructure Upgradation Mission funded with assistance from the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) .

The Telangana government further requested the Centre to exempt loans taken for these projects from the state’s FRBM borrowing limits , arguing that the investments were aimed at strengthening future human capital, particularly among SC, ST, BC and minority communities . Senior officials, including Sandeep Kumar Sultania and Dr Gaurav Uppal , were also present during the meeting.