The Telangana government on Saturday requested Union Minister of Communications and Information Technology Ravi Shankar Prasad for a substantial increase in financial support from the Centre for the first phase development of the proposed IT Investment Region (ITIR) in Hyderabad.

The Union minister met chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at his office in the secretariat yesterday.

The state government had earlier sought a financial assistance of Rs 4,863 crore —Rs 942 crore in the first phase and Rs 3,921 crore in the second phase — for the creation of external infrastructure in the ITIR. However, the Centre had approved a financial support to an extent of Rs 3,275 crore for the project while earmarking just about Rs 165 crore in the first phase.

“Chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao made a request to the Union minister that the central government support of Rs 165 crore to the ITIR of Hyderabad is inadequate and needs to be increased for which the minister responded positively. He said a formal request to be sent to his ministry from the state government,” a release from chief minister’s office stated.

Rao informed Prasad that the IT companies, which already have their operations in the city, would like to expand further and need facilities for education and health in the region for this.