Congress and BRS clash over government scheme failures

In Hyderabad, members of the Congress party and the Opposition Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) clashed during a debate in the Assembly on Saturday. They argued over the success and failures of various government schemes from their time in power. The discussion revolved around six demands from different departments, totaling around ₹35,817 crore. Congress member V. Srihari opened the debate by alleging large-scale corruption in a sheep distribution scheme. He claimed that ₹700 crore was siphoned off by officials, politicians, and middlemen. While the last government stated that they distributed 4.25 lakh sheep, a recent count showed only 1.62 crore sheep were actually available. BRS member P. Kaushik Reddy criticized the government for not allocating funds for the farm loan waiver scheme in the current budget. He noted that only ₹20,617 crore had been released, despite a promise of ₹37,000 crore for loan forgiveness. He argued that many farmers in his constituency did not receive benefits they were eligible for. Congress members K. Shankariah and A. Srinivas raised concerns that about 10% of eligible farmers have yet to receive the loan waiver. They urged the government to address these issues. A. Laxman Kumar of Congress recommended that the government change staff in cooperative societies to combat corruption due to long tenures. CPI member K. Sambasiva Rao called for the Rythu Bharosa scheme to be extended to tenant farmers. He praised the current government for continuing a public health initiative, despite changes to its name. Other representatives also contributed to the debate on various demands.