Hyderabad: Bhatti Vikramarka corners govt on fiscal deficit

Hyderabad: Senior Congress leader and MLA Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka asked the State government where was all the wealth created in the last seven-and-a-half years in Telangana had gone? Taking part in the discussion on the budget speech of Finance Minister T Harish Rao in the State Assembly here on Wednesday, he demanded Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao to release a white paper on the status of irrigation projects, approvals, jurisdiction-related issues of Krishna and Godavari river management boards and Rayalaseema Lift Irrigation Project (RLIP). He said it took eight years for the State government to realise what Congress had been insisting on fighting with the Centre on fulfilling the promises made to the State under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act.

"The government has been supporting the Centre asking it wanted a little love from it (Thoda Pyar Chahiye) supporting demonetisation and other acts of it," he said.

Expressing concern over the State government showing a whopping Rs 52,000 crore fiscal deficit, Mallu said that the government borrowings and guarantees increased the State debt of Rs 70,000 at the time of its formation to Rs 5.5 lakh crore currently. He said that the State government presented a big-ticket budget for the ensuing the financial year of 2022-23, but, it has become a regular ritual for the government to propose a big budget and cut the expenditure later since 2014-15 financial year, which stood at more than 24 per cent of its proposed budgetary allocations.

"During the 2021-22 alone, the cut in expenditure considering the revised estimates stood at Rs 25,000 crore. The budget proposals for the ensuing financial year might face a cut of about Rs 30,000 to Rs 35,000 crore," he added, stating that all this was letting down the expectations and aspirations of common man and the weaker sections of the State. Asking the government what kind of qualitative changes it had brought, he said that when the wealth was created it should go to the welfare of people and improve their living standards and life expectancy.

But, on the housing welfare for the poor, the State government did not give a single square yard or house for them. Further, earlier, it had promised to provide Rs 5 lakh for those who build house in their own land. Now, the same has been reduced to Rs 3 lakh, he rued.

The farmers are suffering due to non-implementation of Rs 1 lakh farm loan waiver. "A conspiracy coming to the fore to kill a state Minister and killing of a lawyer couple exposes the law and order situation in the State," he said.

The shortcomings in the Dharani portal and enhancing registration changes were some of the other issues he spoke about.