Harish Rao
Hyderabad: Senior BRS leader and former minister T Harish Rao has sharply criticized the Telangana government for failing to clear pending bills of contractors working under the ‘Mana Ooru – Mana Badi’ programme, accusing the Congress-led regime of negligence and endangering the financial survival of small contractors across the state.
On Wednesday, December 31, a delegation of ‘Mana Ooru – Mana Badi’ contractors met Harish Rao at his Hyderabad residence, where they detailed their worsening financial crisis.
The contractors alleged that they had taken loans to complete school infrastructure works in government schools, but since the Congress government assumed office, their bills have remained stuck without payment, pushing many into severe debt and hardship.
The contractors told Harish Rao that they had executed development works in government schools across Telangana under the ‘Mana Ooru – Mana Badi’ scheme, but the state government has not released their dues for months.
They claimed that, despite submitting all bills and documents, the administration has delayed payments, forcing them to borrow more money and pay heavy interest, while their families struggle to meet basic expenses.
They specifically complained that, while big contractors and large firms have seen their dues cleared, small and medium contractors working on school projects are being ignored, creating a sense of discrimination and injustice in the system.
Addressing the contractors, Harish Rao condemned the Congress government’s handling of the issue.
He said that the ‘Mana Ooru – Mana Badi’ programme was launched with the vision of improving government schools and providing quality education to poor and middle-class children, but the current chief minister A Revanth Reddy, was now “diluting that very goal.”
Harish Rao pointed out that Revanth Reddy holds the portfolio of Education Minister in addition to being chief minister, yet shows “not even a trace of concern” for the education sector.
He accused the government of acting with negligence by not releasing the pending bills, which has left thousands of small contractors in a deep financial crisis.
Harish Rao demanded that the Telangana government immediately release the pending bills of ‘Mana Ooru – Mana Badi’ contractors.
He stated that the BRS would continue its struggle until the dues are cleared and that he would raise the contractors’ issues on the floor of the State Assembly.
“The government must release these bills without any further delay,” Harish Rao said, warning that the current inaction is not only harming small contractors but also undermining the very purpose of the ‘Mana Ooru – Mana Badi’ programme, which was meant to strengthen government schools and benefit students from disadvantaged backgrounds.
This post was last modified on January 1, 2026 9:12 am