–Rs 1.25 lakh crore due from Centre to TS
-TS couldnot meet budget targets because of Centre
-No scope of raising taxes
-Centre is taking Rs4,618 crore per day
PNS|Hyderabad
Finance Minister Harish Rao hassuggested that Telangana State is not able to meet its budgetary targets because of the Centre’s ways.
The Minister said in the Assembly on Wednesday that Rs1.25lakh crore was due from the Centre to Telangana. There was no scope for raising taxes under any head in the next financial year. He observed: “1.25 lakh crore is due from the Centre. About Rs38,000 crore rupees has not come from the Centre as per the previous budget estimates. After we presented the budget, the Centre reduced open market borrowings by Rs 15,033 crore under the guise of FRBM reforms.Rs 16,653 crore was lost due to non-metering of farmers’ motors. Moreover, the punishment imposed by the Centre for standing by farmers is that the state would lose Rs 30,000 crore during 2021-2026, which is the Finance Commission period”.
Harish said: “Breaking the tradition of honouring the 15th Finance Commission recommendations, the BJP government brazenly evaded the state-specific grant of Rs 5,374 crore that the commission had asked the Telangana State to give. The Centre has shown stubbornness in 2022-23 arrears of Rs 2,016 crore of the Finance Commission. Rs2,437 croreowed by the Centre under the GST compensation is still not released. Rs 5,000crore funds due to the state under centrally sponsored schemes have also been diverted.”
On dues from Andhra Pradesh, Harish said:
“The Centre asked us to give Rs 3,000 crore to Andhra Pradesh for electricity consumption, but did not give us Rs17800 crore from AP. They gave Rs 6,000 crore to AP in FRBM. Like AP, we also want Centre to give Rs 17,800 crore due to us”.
The total amount of funds due from the Centre is Rs 37,809 crore in this one year.The reason for the gap between the previous budget estimates and the economic targets that could not be achieved is not us, but the honourable central government.” Harish added that all these were constitutionally and legally required funds. “Further, Mission Bhagiratha funds of Rs19,205 crore, Mission Kakatiya funds of Rs5,000 crore and a total of Rs 24,205 crore are due to Telangana as recommended by NITI Aayog. If the Central government has any real respect for the NITI Aayog appointed by it, it should give those funds. There is no question of leaving them until these funds are received. We are constantly asking for our rights.”
The Minister asked Telangana BJP leaders to demand Centre for exercising their right. He remarked: “This is not Amrit Kaal but Aapadh Kaal (dangerous season) for us.”
He said, “If we look at the outstanding liability, if the percentage of debt in GSDP of our state was 24.7 percent last financial year, it is going to be reduced to 23.8 percent in this financial year. Mainly to see the debts, the measure is to see how much debt is there in GSDP.Debt consolidation is due to increased GSDP. Why not talk about increased assets”.
