Hyderabad: Deputy chief minister and state finance minister Bhatti Vikramarka announced Rs 23,373 crore for irrigation and command area development while presenting the annual budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 in the Legislative Assembly here on Tuesday, March 19.
The operational and administrative costs related to irrigation and command area development are estimated at Rs 11,544 crore, including the Rs 6,914.54 crore loan repayment under the Kaleshwaram Lift Irrigation Scheme (KLIS) Corporation. The remaining expenditure on irrigation projects is estimated at Rs 11,829 crore, Bhatti said.
“The state government will immediately take up the construction of KP Laxmi Devipalli reservoir under the S Jaipal Reddy Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS). The works at the Udaya Samudram-Brahmana Velamala Lift Irrigation Project will be over soon. Once done, it will provide water to drought-prone areas in Nalgonda and Yadadri Bhuvanagiri districts by lifting 6.70 TMC, irrigating one lakh acres in 94 villages. It will also supply clean drinking water to 107 villages affected by fluoride contamination, significantly improving both agricultural productivity and public health,” Bhatti said in the Assembly.
The state budget has allocated Rs 1,714 crore for the S Jaipal Reddy Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme (PRLIS).
He also stated that the Congress government has approved the revitalisation of the Bunadigani Canal under the Musi Project, allocating Rs 266.65 crore.
A total of Rs 699.35 crore has been proposed for the Sitarama Lift Irrigation Scheme, including Rs 56 crore for the Sitarama Multi-Purpose Project.
Bhatti stressed that the state government is committed to completing several irritation projects pending in the Palamuru region.
The irrigation projects in the Palamuru region consist of the Nettempadu Lift Irrigation Scheme where Rs 144 crore has been allocated, Rs 642.94 crore for the Rajiv Bheema Lift Irrigation Scheme, Rs 800 crore for the Kalwakurthy Lift Irrigation Scheme and Rs 270 crore for the Dindi Lift Irrigation Scheme.
The state government has also proposed Rs 100 crore for building a protection wall to prevent Mancherial town from flooding due to Kaleshwaram backwaters and Rs 5 crore for restoration of Ramappa Lake.
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