Telangana government rejects ₹100 crore donation from Adani Group for skills university

The Telangana government has decided not to accept the ₹100 crore donation from Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani for the Young India Skills University in the state.

The company offered the donation through its corporate social responsibility arm, the Adani Foundation, on Oct 18, but the government has yet to receive it.

Telangana Chief Minister Anumula Revanth Reddy said that the government had not accepted a single rupee from any organization, including the Adani Group, so far.

"My cabinet colleagues and I did not want to be associated with unnecessary discussions or situations that may damage the image of the state government or my own," Reddy said on Nov 25.

"On behalf of the state government, our IT and industries department's special chief secretary, Jayesh Ranjan, has written to the Adani Group informing them of our decision not to accept their donation,” he added.

According to the Chief Minister, the state government's efforts to secure income tax exemptions for the university's donations recently succeeded, and as a result, not a single penny has been received into the government's bank account.

When asked about the ₹12,400 crore investment deals signed by the Telangana government with the Adani Group during the Davos summit, Reddy responded, "Our leader Rahul Gandhi's position is clear. Any contract, deal, or investment agreement made in accordance with the rules will be upheld.”

“We believe in providing a level playing field for all investors and selecting the best among them. We are not opposed to corporations or legal investments. However, if any irregularities are found, we reserve the right to scrutinize the deal,” he added.

"The purpose of the skills university is to assist young people in finding employment. We don't want the university to open amid accusations," the Chief Minister said.

In response to the BRS's accusation that the Congress government was engaging in business deals with Adani despite Rahul Gandhi's opposition to him, Reddy highlighted several projects that had been awarded to the Adani Group by the previous BRS government.

He also released photographs showing former Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao and BRS MLA K T Rama Rao with Adani.