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Telangana to mount pressure on Centre for grants
Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao
Out of Rs 38,700 cr, State got only Rs 5,680 cr
Hyderabad: With the current financial year coming to an end in just two months, the Telangana Government has lost all hopes of receiving further Central grants. The grants released to the State this year, according to officials, are all time low as compared to the last four years. They say, the State got only Rs 5,680 crore, out of Rs 38,700 crore which it should have got.
Unhappy over the "Centre's indifference" towards Telangana in releasing grants, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao has reportedly asked the officials and MPs to mount pressure on the Union Government during the Budget session of Parliament beginning from February 1. The official teams and MPs will camp in Delhi during the budget session and meet the Union ministers to resolve the delay in release of grants before the end of the financial year.
Officials said that Telangana has got Rs 8,177 crore (out of Rs 29,000 crore estimation) in 2018-19. While the Centre estimated that it would get Rs 8,200 crore in 2019-20, it got Rs 11,600 crore. Similarly in 2020-21 too, the State estimated that it would get only Rs 10,425 but devolution from the Centre was Rs 15,470 crore. This year it estimated that the State would get about Rs 38,700 crore but only 14 per cent of the estimated funds were received.
The Centre releases grants to Telangana under the Centrally-sponsored schemes like Sarva Siksha Abhiyan, National Health Mission, Employment Guarantee scheme, PM Sadak Yojana, PM Krishi Sanchar Yojana and Mid-day meal scheme.
Officials said that "First time, the government had projected the highest ever Rs 38,669 crore Central grants in the Budget Outlay this year. The non-release of grants would affect badly in the revised budget to be finalised by February end. The total outlay was Rs 2.31 lakh crore. Of this, the Central grants were estimated to be Rs 30,000 crore.
To address the issue, the State authorities pitched for the release of more grants at the pre-budget meeting conducted by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman recently. The Finance Ministry did not respond positively. Sources said that the government has taken serious note of the non-release of funds and decided to fight with the Centre. Besides, the State Government would take up the issue of increase of FRBM limit by 5 per cent, release of grants as per 15th Finance Commission and the early release of grants under the Backward Region Development programme with the Centre in the upcoming budget session.
