Seethakka, Kamalakar Clash In Assembly

BRS MLA and former minister Gangula Kamalakar today engaged in a heated exchange with Panchayat Raj Minister Seethakka in the State Assembly over the implementation of the B R Ambedkar Overseas Scholarship scheme.

He alleged that the scheme, introduced by the KCR government to provide Rs 20 lakh each for students pursuing higher education abroad, had not been implemented since the Revanth Reddy government came to power in Telangana.

Presenting the details from the State government's website, he submitted a document to the Assembly Speaker as evidence, and claimed that the scheme was effectively stalled.

Kamalakar accused the government of displaying negligence in handling the issue, and claimed that not a single student from the BC, ST and minority communities had benefited from the scheme since the Congress came to power, and that only a few SC students had received funds.

In response, Seethakka dismissed the allegations, accusing Kamalakar of politicising the issue.

She said that the government was addressing pending cases and had already released Rs 167 crore, with another Rs 25 crore set to be disbursed soon. "The scheme is ongoing," she said, and urged Kamalakar not to drag politics into the education sector.

Countering her, Kamalakar insisted that he was not politicising the matter but merely presenting information available on the government's website as of 2 pm today. He claimed that Seethakka had provided inaccurate figures regarding financial aid for students from the marginalised communities.

Seethakka in turn said that she had studied in a tribal girls' school and not a private B Tech college, and was personally committed to education for the under-privileged.

She also said that since the Chief Minister held the education portfolio, she would bring the matter to his attention.