Liberalise FRBM dates: KCR to Jaitley

Hyderabad/New Delhi: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao on Thursday called on Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitely in New Delhi and requested him to fulfill all the promises made under AP Reorganisation Act which included IIM (Indian Institute of management) and AIIMs (All India Institute of Medical Sciences).

The CM informed the Union minster that the state was ready to allocate land for the construction of AIIMS. He brought to his notice that Smriti Irani when she was Union HRD minister assured sanction of the IIM to Telangana. But no steps have so far been taken towards establishment of the management institute in the state.    

KCR submitted a memorandum to Jaitley demanding release of Rs 450 crore grant to nine backward districts. Even though 2017-18 financial year is coming to an end, the Centre has not sanctioned money so far, he said. 

He requested the minister to get the matter examined and direct the concerned to release the amount at the earliest. The issue of continuation of the 3. 5 per cent FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) limit also came for discussion in the meeting. The Chief Minister pleaded with Jaitley to move liberally in extending FRBM limit to Telangana. State Finance Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and others were present at the meeting. 

According to sources, Chandrasekhar Rao has urged the Finance Minister to give his nod for borrowings from the financial institutions two months early in April. Normally, Centre permits the state governments to seek borrowing within the ceiling set by the FRBM Act in May or June.   As the TS government has decided to launch the Rs 4,000 incentive per farmer scheme in May, it requires nearly Rs 6,000 crore. Telangana wants to be ready with required financial resources by April end and ensure the scheme is taken up without delay.

Sources said that the Chief Minister has requested the Union finance ministry to make available required Rs 6,000 crore currency in the banks for distribution to the farmers.  Taking note of the currency crisis haunting Telangana in the recent months, KCR wanted to put an end to the problem before the launch of the crop investment scheme. 

While this is so, Chandrasekhar Rao may not get to see Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the latter is busy in the poll campaign in the election-bound North Eastern states of Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland.

After returning from West Asia tour on Tuesday night, the Prime Minister was on the campaign trail in the three states as the ruling BJP at the Centre considers the elections crucial ahead of 2019 general elections.       

Sources said that the Chief Minister is waiting for an appointment to meet Modi from the PMO.     At Delhi, the Chief Minister held a series of meetings with state finance officials, who were summoned to Delhi, on the possibility of getting more funds from the Centre early in the 2018-19 financial year. He is expected to leave for Hyderabad on Friday.