Hyderabad: Telangana tribal welfare minister Adluri Laxman Kumar on Friday urged the Centre to immediately release ₹452 crore towards post-matric scholarships for tribal students, saying delays in disbursal were affecting thousands of students pursuing higher education across the state.The demand was raised during a meeting with Union tribal affairs minister Jual Oram in New Delhi, where Adluri submitted a memorandum seeking central assistance for tribal welfare, education and infrastructure initiatives in Telangana. State govt’s special representative in Delhi, AP Jitender Reddy, was also present.According to the memorandum, Telangana has sought the Centre’s share of scholarship funds covering pending dues for 2024-25 and 2025-26 along with proposals submitted for 2026-27.Apart from scholarship dues, Adluri requested an additional ₹70 crore under Article 275(1) of the Constitution for tribal welfare programmes. He pointed out that allocations to Telangana under the provision had declined from ₹98.4 crore in 2024-25 to ₹35.2 crore in 2025-26 and ₹32.1 crore in 2026-27, despite growing developmental requirements.The minister also sought the release of ₹11.8 crore under the Pradhan Mantri Adi Adarsh Gram Yojana (PMAAGY) for development works in 428 tribal-majority villages. He said the funds were necessary for completing ongoing projects aimed at improving living conditions and infrastructure in tribal areas.During the meeting, Oram reportedly assured the Telangana delegation that pending funds related to the department would be sanctioned. He also expressed the Centre’s willingness to support road connectivity and other infrastructure projects in tribal regions and asked the state govt to submit detailed proposals.
