TS Budget aims at bringing qualitative change, says Eatala
At a media conference soon after the budget was presented, he said the government was keen on minimising the difference between allocations and expenditure as much as possible.\"
Hyderabad: Being a party that rose to power after spearheading a movement for 14 long years, Telangana State government wants to bring "qualitative change" in the way allocations are made under different heads and in the manner in which they are actually spent,” said the Minister for Finance Eatala Rajender.
At a media conference soon after the budget was presented, he said the government was keen on minimising the difference between allocations and expenditure as much as possible."
The Minister said the allocations made under different heads and the amount allocated indicated the "direction" chosen by the TRS government. The government had given high importance to welfare followed by agriculture. Previous governments had made a mockery of land distribution to Dalits by distributing land that was not arable. “Though there is scarcity of government land in Telangana State, we will strive to give three acres of cultivable land to Dalits and will provide irrigation facility as well,” he asserted.
Reacting to barrage of questions on the farmers’ suicides in State, the Finance Minister said “we know the crisis the farmers are facing and suicides are continuing. Here, I want to clarify that you cannot see agricultural crisis in isolation.
Agricultural yields have been low because there is no water. There is no water because there is shortage of power supply. And all these are systemic problems you must understand."
Rajender also gave a glimpse of Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao's thinking on education sector. KCR wanted that the expenditure on education sector shall not be shown as expenditure at all. “Because, education generates Human Resources in the form of young people who will be able to stand on their own feet with the knowledge gained and the courage they get".
He denied allegations that the State government was going to depend heavily on Central grants. He said the State's own tax revenue as per the Budget 2014-15 stood at Rs.35,378.24 crore. Of this, major share was the accrual by way of sales tax, which stood at Rs.26,963.30 crore, he said.
He further explained that the State government can borrow funds to the tune of Rs.11,000 crore.
When asked if the government can spend huge allocations made to some sectors in next four months, the Minister responded by saying that "good intentions shall not be questioned.”
He further denied that KCR government was not interested in resolving the agricultural crisis. He said," UPA government waived loans worth Rs 3,376 crore. We are writing off loans worth Rs.17,000 crore and Rs 4250 crore has already been paid to banks as a fist installment which constituted 25 per cent. We are ready to pay a second installment of 50 percent next year."
