Kishan ridicules TRS over comments on budget allocations

Mahbubnagar: While ridiculing the State government’s claim that the Central government has given nothing in the recently-released central budget for Telangana, BJP floor leader Kishan Reddy, while taking part at booth-level party workers meet in Rajapur mandal on Tuesday, said that the TRS leaders were either ignorant or don’t have the knowledge about the budget allocations made by the Central government.

Unlike earlier budgets, the Central government has hiked the State government’s share from 32 per cent to 42 per cent during Narendra Modi’s government, he said, adding that all government welfare schemes like one-rupee a kilo rice, healthcare, education, national highways, road infrastructure etc were being funded by the Central government.

“As the Central government has its own priorities and has its own welfare schemes and projects to run, it has its own compulsions and focusing on attracting more foreign investments. All the aspects of the State cannot be taken care by the Central government. The State government has its own budget and it has to allocate funds for some of the priority projects the State has taken up, in addition to getting support from the Central government.

But the Central government cannot completely meet the State government’s requirement,” said Kishan Reddy. Reddy further added that the State government has its own income sources and was earning huge taxes from Excise and taxes on diesel, petrol and cooking gas. Let the State government bring the petrol and diesel prices under GST, then you can ask for more funds from the Central government.

“Nowhere in the country have so many taxes on diesel and petrol. The cost of petrol is highest in the State. The State government is earning huge revenue from the taxes on fuel prices,” said the BJP leader.