TS budget session put off to March

Clash with AP session

Budget to be close to reality

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has deferred its plan to hold the budget session from February-end to March in view of the AP government decision to conduct budget session from March 1 in the same Assembly premises in the city.

Since the AP government has already been making arrangements to hold the session from March 1, the Intelligence and Assembly Secretariat officials brought security and logistic problems to the notice of the TS government if the TS Assembly also holds the session simultaneously.

Lack of accommodation facility to the special security personnel of the two Assemblies deployed during the sessions and congested vehicle parking is the biggest problems for the two states.

The police officials suggested to hold the session in March second week. Another main reason for postponing the session was the departments were yet to complete the final proposals for the new budget.

The cabinet meeting, presided over by Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao, discussed in detail with the Secretaries and Heads of Departments (HoDs) the progress in the preparation of budget proposals.

KCR asked the officials to prepare ‘zero-based budget’ and submit them to him in a week. He categorically instructed the officials to finalise practical budget allocations plug all loopholes, if any, in the misuse of funds under plan and non- plan outlay.

Briefing the press after the Cabinet meeting, Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao said that unlike in the past, the budget will be close to reality. Specific fund allocation will be made to each programme and scheme ensuring no fund lapse and 100 per cent utilization in the budget year.

He said the Cabinet approved the Dummugudam Lift Irrigation Project by conglomerating existing Rajiv and Indira Sagar to bring nearly 5 lakh acres of land under irrigation in Khammam district.

The project has been named after Srirama Lift Irrigation Project, being taken up at n estimated cost of Rs 7,900 crore. Fifty TMC of assured Godavari water will be utilized in the project.

Coming to the rescue of small and medium diary cooperative societies existing in the state for decades, the government constituted a sub committee headed by Agriculture Minister P Srinivas Reddy to fix incentives to the dairy farmers in the procurement of milk from them.

Finance Minister Eatala Rajendar and Energy Minister G Jagadish Reddy were the members of the committee. Another sub-committee to develop the Telugu film industry in Telangana, headed by Film and Cinematography Minister T Srinivas Yadav was also constituted.

Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister KT Rama Rao and Roads and Buildings Minister T Nageshwar Rao were the members. To speed up the process of regularization of contract employees, Harish Rao said the Cabinet approved the adoption of the AP Reorganisation Act.