Hyderabad: Legislative Council Chairman Gutta Sukhender Reddy said contractors executed works worth ₹360 crore under the Mana Ooru–Mana Badi scheme, but the government had failed to release pending payments.
Raising the issue during Question Hour in the Legislative Council on Tuesday, Gutta Sukhender Reddy said renovation works in government schools had stalled across the state. He said even in his own village, school works stopped midway. As a result, children were forced to sit in the open during winter.
He said he had repeatedly informed Principal Secretary Yogita Rana, Deputy Chief Minister Bhatti Vikramarka, and Chief Minister Revanth Reddy about the pending payments over the past year. However, the government failed to act.
He said the government cleared several other payments. Yet, it renamed Mana Ooru–Mana Badi as Amma Adarsha Patashala and linked it to the mining cess. Because of this, payments slowed down. He added that even the limited payments made earlier had now stopped.
Mana Ooru–Mana Badi payments stalled, enrolment claims questioned
Gutta Sukhender Reddy said dropout rates in government schools had already increased. According to 2024–25 data, he said, 18.5 lakh students studied in government schools, while private schools had 36 lakh students.
However, he said officials claimed that three lakh new students joined government schools this year. He dismissed those figures as false. In reality, he said, even 30,000 new students had not enrolled.
Therefore, he urged the government to immediately clear pending Mana Ooru–Mana Badi payments. He said timely fund release was essential to complete school works and restore confidence in government education.