Harish Rao demanded that the state immediately clear all pending bills and salaries to restore dignity and stability to Telangana’s Gurukuls.
Published Oct 18, 2025 | 9:00 AM ⚊ Updated Oct 18, 2025 | 9:00 AM
Representational image. Credit: tgswreis.telangana.gov.in/
Synopsis: Telangana’s Gurukul schools, serving 6.5 lakh marginalised students, face financial turmoil with unpaid salaries and pending bills. Issues vary across Adilabad, Warangal, and Nagarkurnool. A ₹60 crore relief package aims to address salaries and maintenance, but critics, including T Harish Rao, call it insufficient for 1,024 schools. CM Revanth Reddy pushes tech upgrades and health measures to improve hostel conditions.
Telangana’s Gurukul system has once again come under the scanner for growing issues at the schools statewide. It is now caught in a financial tangle that has left staff unpaid and campuses struggling to stay afloat. These residential schools, catering to nearly 6.5 lakh students from SC, ST, BC, and minority communities, were designed to provide quality education and equal opportunity to the state’s most marginalised groups.
However, over the past few months, reports from across districts, from Adilabad to Warangal and Nagarkurnool, have revealed mounting challenges: delayed salaries, unpaid bills, and inadequate maintenance funds. While the state government recently announced a ₹60 crore relief package to address the crisis, questions persist about whether the amount is enough to restore stability.
Speaking to South First, Gurkul staff from the Adilabad region revealed that the case of unpaid salaries only affected a few. “There are about 3 or 4 guest lecturers at the campus, and they are the ones who are facing issues with the salaries. The remainder of the teachers employed by the state are paid their salaries promptly,” they reported.
At this particular campus, the salaries had not been paid for about 2 months. However, while the problem seemingly persists statewide, its intensity varies from district to district.
Gurukul staff from Warangal, who wished to remain anonymous, also detailed the issue further to South First. “It’s the outsourced employees, the guest lecturers, the part-time lecturers, and the non-teaching staff that haven’t been paid their salaries on time recently,” the person revealed. At their campus, the backlog stretched back two months.
Similar stories emerged from the Gurukuls in Mulugu, where the staff also spoke about how there were pending salaries for outsourced staff members. However, unlike the campuses in Adilabad and Warangal, it faced the issue for only one month. Yet, in districts like Nagarkurnool, a more grim picture has come to light.
At one of the campuses in the district, the unpaid salaries go as far back as three months.
“About three months ago, I joined in a fresh wave of recruitment. Yet, none of us has been paid our salaries. The state has said that they cannot pay us until they approve or renew our roles, yet won’t tell us what the holdup is,” one teacher told South First on the condition of anonymity.
“We have pending bills for some of our necessities going back to June in Adilabad. We are yet to make the payments for the fruits, vegetables, chicken, and mutton,” Gurukul staff in Adilabad explained to South First.
“There is no issue for the eggs as they have come under a centralised tender. Milk comes from Vijaya Dairy. The provisions, from the Girijan Corporation. Hence, the vegetables and meats are the only point of friction,” the continued.
“However, it has not affected us at the school level yet. The contractors have tried to bring pressure on the Collector to release payments, but it remains to be seen when that will come through,” they added.
Similar conditions were reported across various schools in the state as well. Some schools in Warangal have had pending bills since May. Some in Mulugu have had pending bills since June. However, there are also schools with no pending bills, like some in the Nagarkurnool district. However, the state government has seemingly taken the initiative to solve the aforementioned issues in Telangana’s Gurukuls.
Chief Minister Revanth Reddy announced the release of ₹60 crore from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund (CMRF) to address the immediate financial needs of welfare hostels across Telangana. The funds will be used to clear pending salaries of temporary staff, pay diet charges, repair vehicles, and cover other emergency expenses in BC, SC, ST, and minority welfare hostels.
At a high-level review meeting with senior officials, the CM handed over cheques to department heads, directing them to ensure that every rupee reaches the hostels quickly. He said the government’s priority was to improve living conditions for students and restore efficiency in hostel administration, which had suffered due to pending bills and poor maintenance.
The CM instructed officials to implement facial recognition for students, teaching, and non-teaching staff in every hostel. He also ordered the development of a mobile app to monitor food quality and ensure that students receive nutritious meals.
Revanth Reddy stressed that hostels should adapt technology not only for administration but also for education, suggesting the use of ‘ed tech’ tools to help students prepare for competitive exams.
Concerned about students’ health, the CM directed officials to link hostels with government and private medical colleges and hospitals, ensuring that medical help is available round the clock through a proposed 24-hour hotline. He also asked for regular medical camps and inspections to maintain hygiene and food standards.
Revanth Reddy asked Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and Special Chief Secretary Sabyasachi Ghosh to prepare a comprehensive plan to streamline hostel management: covering scholarships, salaries, construction, and operating costs.
Former minister T Harish Rao has accused CM Revanth Reddy of betraying the trust of thousands of Gurukul students and staff by failing to deliver on his promises of releasing funds through a green channel. Harish Rao said the government’s allocation of just ₹60 crore for 1,024 Gurukuls was “shameful,” calling it a stark contrast to Revanth Reddy’s claims of spending ₹12,000 crore on Young India integrated Gurukuls. “Is the allocation of funds to Gurukuls being withheld because there are no commissions involved?” he asked.
He criticised the Congress government for neglecting the welfare of 6.5 lakh SC, ST, BC, and minority students, saying, “With the insufficient funds you’ve allocated, how is it possible to cover staff salaries, motor repairs, and essential works?” Harish Rao questioned the sincerity behind the government’s review meetings, describing them as mere formalities.
Referring to student protests, including one at Chegunta Gurukul in Medak, where pupils demanded mathematics teachers, he said the government had “forced students, who should be focused on their studies, to take the path of protests.”
Harish Rao demanded that the state immediately clear all pending bills, salaries, and arrears to restore dignity and stability to Telangana’s Gurukul institutions.
(Edited by Amit Vasudev)
