Tirupati: Budget evokes mixed response

Tirupati: The state budget for 2020-21 presented by Finance Minister B Rajendranath in the state Assembly on Tuesday has evoked mixed responses. Those working in the areas of irrigation and economy have criticised the budget proposals while the steps announced for the benefit of farmers were hailed.

The president of Rayalaseema Saguneeti Sadhana Samithi B Dasaratha Rami Reddy has flayed the state budget as it did not mention any stabilisation schemes to use water from Tungabhadra.

He said that though AP has legitimate right of using Tungabhadra waters. However, since 1953, no efforts were taken by the successive governments to implement any scheme in this regard.

The present government has also been neglecting the area, he said.

He also criticised that for the past 35 years the governments have confined only to Galeru Nagari and Handri Neeva projects with no significant progress.

Similar situation continues in the present budget also. These projects so far have failed to get water even to a single acre, he alleged. However, he lauded the Rayalaseema Drought Mitigation Scheme mentioned in the budget.

The UGC emeritus fellow at SV University Prof A Ranga Reddy lambasted the welfare schemes to which most of the rich people have become beneficiaries.

Welfare should confine to those people at below poverty line, he said. Such massive welfare schemes will never help the economy. Instead the government should focus on creating infrastructure and take up development activities, he said.

Income and employment generation should take the front seat pushing the welfare measures to back seat, he opined.

The district secretary of federation of farmers association R Sreenivasulu Reddy hailed the decision to establish Rythu Bharosa Kendrams in all 1,1158 village secretariats.

If these centres function properly at the grassroots level without bringing politics into it, they will be very much useful to the farmers, he said.

The price stabilisation fund of Rs.3000 crore has to be used effectively to benefit the farmers in times of need. The budget has also given incentives to allied sectors.

The proposal to set up 160 Agri Testing Labs across the state with Rs.65 crores will address serious problems being faced by the farmers like spurious seeds, pesticides and fertilisers, he added.