Bhatti Pushes for National Project Status on Pranahita-Chevella Amid Centre Funding Concerns

Hyderabad — Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka has called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi to confer national project status on the Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Pranahita-Chevella irrigation initiative, making his appeal ahead of Modi's scheduled visit to Karimnagar.

The irrigation scheme, which was conceived during the Congress administration in undivided Andhra Pradesh, remains a focal point in discussions over central support to the state.

According to Bhatti, the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act contained an explicit commitment from New Delhi to grant national status to a major irrigation undertaking in Telangana. He contended that the Union government has an obligation to honour this pledge.

Pointing to precedent, Bhatti noted that following the 2014 general elections, the BJP-led government accorded national project status to the Polavaram scheme in Andhra Pradesh. He argued that Telangana has received no comparable backing for any project, describing this disparity as discriminatory treatment of the state.

The Deputy Chief Minister's remarks came during his participation in a ground-breaking ceremony at Gambhiraopet in Sircilla district, held alongside Ministers Duddilla Sridhar Babu, Tummala Nageshwar Rao and Ponnam Prabhakar. The event marked the inauguration of a compressed biogas plant established by Biostratum Technologies Private Limited at Pantalugari Thota.

Beyond infrastructure concerns, Bhatti raised grievances regarding agricultural procurement. He highlighted that the Telangana government purchases all crops produced by farmers at rates aligned with the Centre's Minimum Support Price framework. However, he criticised the central administration for postponing grain collection and delaying fund transfers.

Bhatti stressed that New Delhi should not restrict its involvement to announcing MSP for select commodities. Rather, he urged the Centre to acquire all grain procured by the state and disburse payments without delay.

Highlighting agricultural innovation, Bhatti noted that the Congress government had initiated the conversion of paddy straw into biogas—a development he characterised as progressive for the farming sector.

He also advocated for farmers to embrace crop diversification strategies to enhance earnings and reduce reliance on paddy cultivation. Bhatti encouraged a shift towards horticulture, millets and oil palm production as alternative income sources.