Hyderabad, Dec 16 (IANS) Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy on Tuesday met Union Finance and Corporate Affairs Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in New Delhi and urged her to extend support for the establishment of Young India Integrated Residential Schools (YIIRS). The Chief Minister informed the Union Minister that the State government plans to set up 105 YIIRS across Telangana. According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), he highlighted that through the YIIRS, quality education would be provided directly and indirectly to nearly four lakh students. The Chief Minister also stated that the construction of the YIIRS and other educational institutions would involve an expenditure of Rs 30,000 crore. He requested the Union Finance Minister to exempt the loans raised for this purpose from the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) limits, considering the large-scale investment in education infrastructure.

Congress MPs Kiran Kumar Chamala, Dr Mallu Ravi, Suresh Shetkar, and Anil Kumar Yadav accompanied the Chief Minister. In September, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka had met FM Sitharaman and had sought special financial support and FRBM exemption for the Rs 30,000 crore YIIRS programme in the state. Vikramarka, who is also the state Finance Minister, had also explained that this Rs 30,000 crore initiative will transform education and nutrition for lakhs of children, empower marginalised communities, and strengthen India’s demographic dividend.

The Union Finance Minister was also urged to give FRBM exemption for this long-term human capital investment. She was told that the programme was launched to address the challenges of quality education and nutritious food for students. Meanwhile, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy also called on Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan and requested him to sanction an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) for Hyderabad. The Chief Minister informed the Union Minister that 200 acres of land required for the establishment of the IIM have already been identified. He also revealed that a transit campus is ready to begin classes immediately.

CM Revanth Reddy told the Union Minister that the state government would provide the necessary facilities if the required approvals for the establishment of the IIM are granted. Revanth Reddy also requested Union Minister Pradhan to sanction 9 Kendriya Vidyalayas and 16 Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas in line with the increased number of districts in Telangana. He stated that the state government is ready to provide the necessary land and other facilities for the establishment of Kendriya Vidyalayas and Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas.