Hyderabad, March 26 : Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy said on Thursday that healthcare and education are the top priorities of his government.

In his reply to the debate on demands for grants in the Assembly, the Chief Minister gave the assurance that the government will not cut a single rupee from the funds allocated for education and healthcare. If necessary, the government will provide more funds, he asserted.

He claimed that the previous BRS government allowed dues under Rajiv Aarogyasri to accumulate, but his government, while shouldering that burden, increased the coverage limit under the scheme from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.

He revealed that when the present government assumed office on December 7, 2023, it inherited a burden of Rs 627 crore in pending dues under Arogyasri.

Since December 8, 2023, the government has paid a total of Rs 2,408 crore towards the Aarogyasri scheme. The government paid Rs 927 crore to government hospitals and Rs 1,480 crore to private hospitals.

Payments are being processed on a regular and timely basis; only the dues accumulated by the previous government remain pending. As of today, the outstanding dues amount to Rs 727 crore, he said.

CM Revanth Reddy said that false propaganda is being spread claiming that private hospitals are shutting down due to pending dues under the Aarogyasri scheme. He clarified that the outstanding Aarogyasri dues to private hospitals are minimal.

He also claimed that in the past, numerous irregularities occurred regarding the issuance of checks from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund. Certain individuals misused this relief fund, and cases were subsequently filed against them.

"Since our government assumed office, we have implemented a system allowing applications for the CM Relief Fund to be submitted online. We have taken necessary measures. As a result, the scope for irregularities has been completely eliminated," he said.

The Chief Minister stated that the government has so far disbursed Rs 2,046 crore under the Chief Minister's Relief Fund.

He claimed that the government has allocated Rs 4,500 crore specifically for the medical treatment of the poor.

There are 35 medical colleges in the state; however, patients are currently not visiting these teaching hospitals. Furthermore, there is a shortage of qualified doctors in these hospitals where the poor typically seek medical care.

"We are currently considering a proposal to refer Aarogyasri beneficiaries to these teaching hospitals. In addition to the Aarogyasri funds, we intend to allocate resources from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund to these hospitals," the CM said, exuding confidence that this initiative will lead to significant improvements in the administration and management of these hospitals.

The government is also planning to entrust the administrative oversight of these hospitals to a Group-I level officer.

He also announced that based on the census data collected as part of the caste enumeration exercise, the government is preparing to extend the 'Indiramma Jeevitha Bima' (Life Insurance) scheme to 1.15 crore families. â??Through this initiative, we aim to provide a sense of security and assurance to every family,â?? he said.

Stating that thousands of doctors from Telangana are currently working abroad, he said a website will be developed to enable them to provide their services in the hospitals in Telangana whenever they visit their state.

The government is transforming the TIMS hospitals in Alwal, LB Nagar, and Sanath Nagar into specialised hospitals. A new building is being constructed for Osmania Hospital in Goshamahal, spanning 30 acres and costing Rs 3,000 crore.

The Chief Minister said the government would be bringing reforms to improve the quality of education. He remarked that while education is accessible, quality education remains elusive.

/IANS