Under scathing attack, Finance Minister returns money to government

Amaravati: Reacting to the embarrassing news which surfaced against him regarding Root Canal treatment, Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu returned Rs 2,88,823 to the State government. This is a rare occasion in government, observed senior politicians.

The State government recently sanctioned the amount to Ramakrishnudu as reimbursement for the expenditure incurred for his Root Canal treatment at Azure Dental Hospital in Singapore during his official visit in April 2018. The Opposition parties resorted to serious criticism against him for utilising huge amount towards his medical expenditure. Following the criticism, Ramakrishnudu returned the money to the State government on September 24 and government accepted it on September 27.

In his letter requesting the government to take back entire money, Ramakrishnudu said that, “There is misconception by some political parties about my Root Canal treatment in Singapore in emergency situation when I attended an official conference there. I remit back the entire amount through Challan. I request the government to treat that there is no claim by myself for dental treatment taken at Singapore.”

Nagulapalli Srikant, Secretary to Government (Political), has accepted the request from Ramakrishnudu and cancelled the earlier orders through another Government Order. He released GO No 2098 on September 27. TDP spokesperson Lanka Dinakar said though the Opposition parties made a hue and cry over the issue, Yanamala did not make a single statement but proved his credibility by returning the entire amount to the government.