NEW DELHI: The Centre is expected to announce a special package for Telangana region shortly. Stating this, Chairman of Telangana Development Board V. Purushottam Reddy said Prime Minister Manmohan Singh gave him an assurance to this effect here on Tuesday.

Mr. Reddy, who called Dr. Singh requested a special Central package for the development of the region.

Talking to media persons later, Mr. Reddy said the Prime Minister responded positively to the request and expressed the hope that Centre would soon announce a package.

Replying to queries, he expressed satisfaction with the powers conferred on the Board by the State Government and the funds allocated to it. He said the Chief Minister made all efforts to give maximum funds that was feasible and could not give more since the State Budget had been passed earlier.

He said the Telangana Development Board would try bridge the gap in rural infrastructure through available funds and that many people in the Congress were of the view that a separate Telangana would be beneficial to the region but did not want to delay development till a separate State was created. However, the party would await the decision of Congress president on the Telangana issue. As far as the GO 610 was concerned, he said, even though it was issued over two decades ago, no Government in the past made any attempt to implement it and now when Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy was making an effort to implement it, some parties were criticising it.

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