Hyderabad: BJP floor leader G. Kishan Reddy said that the budget present by Finance Minister Eatela Rajender for the year 2017-18 lacked sanctity and it would not fulfill the promise made by the TRS in its manifesto.
Initiating the debate on Budget 2017-18 in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, Kishan Reddy said that the budget was ‘Banavati’ (artificial) and not ‘Bangaru’ (golden) as being claimed by the ruling TRS party.
Presenting statistics and officials figures on various issues, Kishan Reddy claimed that the TRS Government did not fulfill any major promise it made with the people. He even offered to resign as MLA if he was proved wrong.
Kishan Reddy disputed the government’s claim in the budget speech on increase in salaries of Home Guards. He said Home Guards were being paid only Rs. 9,000 and not Rs. 12,000 as being claimed by the government.
He said that the salary was increased only once from Rs. 6,000 to Rs. 9,000 and not Rs. 12,000. He said that as against the sanction of 2.60 lakh double bed room houses, the government constructed less than 2,000 houses during the first half of its tenure.
He alleged that the Electricity Department was collecting surcharge from farmers and their supply was being disconnected for non-payment. He also said that there was nothing new in becoming the State surplus in power as the entire country has become surplus.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi government was offering power to each and everybody on demand at Rs. 2.14 per unit.
The BJP leader said that the TRS Government has been creating a hype by making huge allegations in the budget since 2014-15. However, he said that the actual spending has been only 60-68 per cent. He alleged that government was projecting surplus budget only to get more loans from the money lending agencies.
He said that the State’s debts have increased from Rs. 61,000 Crore to Rs. 1.14 Lakh crore during the last two-and-a-half years. He said that every citizen of Telangana has a debt burden of Rs. 48,000.
Kishan Reddy also presented a set of documents alleging irregularities in the allotment of tenders for Palamuru Lift Irrigation Scheme. He demanded that the government place the entire record before the Speaker.
On KG to PG scheme, he said that there was neither KG nor PG, but the government was opening some residential schools for a few classes from 5th to 8th.
He also pointed out that of 56 departments in Osmania University, there were no professors in 42 departments, there is no Associate professors in 27 departments and there are no basic facilities such as toilets etc.
for the students. He said if the condition of Osmania University was worse, one could imagine the status of other universities in the State.
The BJP leader said that the government has not fulfilled a single promise during the last three years. However, it was giving false hopes and making more false promises every day.
Stating that the Finance Minister’s projection of Rs. 68,000 revenues were far from reality, he said that the State, at the most, would get not more than Rs. 46,000 crore and the budget of Rs. 1.49 lakh crore would prove to be a damb squib. (INN)