70,000-cr budget for Telangana

KCR holds a marathon meeting with officials

Hyderabad: The first budget of the Telangana government is pegged at Rs 70,000 crore and top priority would be given to health, education, horticulture besides women and child welfare.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao held a marathon meeting for nearly seven hours (from 2 pm to 9 pm) with senior bureaucrats and various Heads of Departments in this regard at Hitex in Madhapur on Monday.

He checked proposals prepared by 14 committees tasked with the responsibility of preparation of budget of the new state of Telangana.

KCR emphasised on establishing a super specialty hospital in each district. Further, he directed officials to include proposals to upgrade facilities in government hospitals in 10 districts.

It is learnt that budget preparatory exercise had reached its final stage and it would be likely around Rs 70,000 crore.

It may be mentioned here that KCR appointed 14 task force committees to submit budget proposals for welfare, drinking water supply-sanitation, agriculture-dairy industry, industries-infrastructure development, irrigation, energy, law and order among other departments. Apart from submitting budgetary allocation proposals, these committees were told to devise short-term, mid-term and long-term policies and targets.

He directed officials to prepare a budget that would present a complete picture of his government's policies, priorities and actions over the next five years. Polices for each department should be prepared even before finalising budgetary allocation proposals for that particular department, he said then.

According to KCR, the past budgets, prepared in the undivided State, completely ignored priorities and resources of Telangana. Officials should note this and make their recommendations keeping in mind needs, requirements and aspirations of Telangana public, he felt.