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Etela loses cool over budget ‘distortions’
Telangana State Finance Minister Etela Rajendar on Friday hit out at the opposition for \'distorting\' the Budget -2014 proposals presented by him a week ago in the Assembly.
- Hits out at opposition parties
- Blames Cong, TDP for power, water crisis in Telangana
Hyderabad: Telangana State Finance Minister Etela Rajendar on Friday hit out at the opposition for 'distorting' the Budget -2014 proposals presented by him a week ago in the Assembly.
Replying on the budget issue in the House, he disagreed with the main opposition leader K Jana Reddy’s statement that the Telangana State was blessed with Rs 2,500 crore surplus budget after the division of State. The State had only Rs 301 crore revenue surplus at the time of the bifurcation of State.
The 13th Finance Commission in the recent meeting held with the Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao also observed the State was reeling under financial crisis, he clarified.
Stating that the government was making all out efforts to get more Central funds , he said the government was expecting Rs 21,720 crore as grant in aid and Rs 5,000 crore special package for the new State. The Minister put the State-owned tax revenue at Rs 35,378 crore and non-tax revenue (from Forest and Minerals) at around Rs 13,242 crore.
Eatala claimed his government accorded top priority to welfare, and irrigation was given second importance in the budget. Huge allocations were made for the revival of tanks and construction of Palamuru Lift Irrigation Project this year.
The Minister held the previous Congress and Telugu Desam governments were responsible for the power crisis and water scarcity in Telangana. The two governments made huge investments in irrigation and power sectors in Seemandhra leaving Telangana in the lurch in the last 60 years.
The State government prepared action plans to overcome power crisis in the next five years by setting up new thermal projects and bought 1,000 MW from Chhattisgarh, he said.
Thanking the Chief Minister for giving Agriculture status to poultry industry, he said after identifying the potential, the Telangana State would be promoted as ‘Egg Basket of India’. Plans were also conceived to make Telangana ‘Seed Bowl of India’.
