Telangana to Consult Karnataka and Kerala on Legal Challenge to VBG Ram G Scheme

The Telangana government has decided to hold consultations with the Chief Ministers of Karnataka and Kerala to explore a coordinated political and legal strategy against the Centre's VBG Ram G scheme. The decision was reached during a cabinet sub-committee meeting held at the Secretariat in Hyderabad on Saturday, with a final decision on the matter scheduled for July 2.

The cabinet sub-committee, which is currently examining the VBG Ram G scheme, is led by Irrigation Minister N Uttam Kumar Reddy. Minister Danasari Anasuya Seethakka attended the meeting in person at the Secretariat, while ministers Thummala Nageswara Rao and G. Vivek Venkataswamy joined the discussions virtually.

During the meeting, the committee discussed whether Telangana should challenge the legislation in the Supreme Court instead of implementing it in accordance with the Centre’s guidelines. The proposed consultations with non-BJP ruled states, specifically Karnataka and Kerala, will assess whether they are willing to join a common legal strategy or other coordinated measures to protect the powers and financial interests of the states.

The cabinet panel also received detailed feedback and suggestions from representatives of nearly 20 civil society organizations who attended the meeting. The civil society representatives were critical of the Central government for introducing sweeping changes to the scheme without consulting state governments.

According to the civil society representatives, the Centre's unilateral action is a violation of cooperative federalism. They emphasized that employment guarantee programmes directly affect state finances, rural livelihoods, and local implementation.

Following these discussions, the sub-committee decided to explore both coordinated legal and political actions. The final decision on whether to launch a joint legal challenge in the Supreme Court will be taken by the Telangana cabinet on July 2.