State Budget will buoy growth: Eatala

Hyderabad: Claiming that the Budget 2018-19 proposals had been formulated for the comprehensive development of the people of Telangana, Finance minister Eatala Rajender on Thursday said the government was committed to the welfare of all sections of people including government employees and contract and outsourcing staff working in different wings.  

Presenting the Budget in the Assembly, he said Telangana was the only State implementing Minimum Wage Act in true spirit by increasing the salaries of home guards, AASHA workers, Vidya volunteers, part-time and full-time contingent employees. 

Apart from providing salaries as per the PRC recommendations to government servants, salaries of 2.27 lakh different category workers were also hiked. The PRC recommendations were also applied to Archakas and other staff working in temples, he said. Listing out all welfare schemes launched by the State government since 2014, Rajender said the government was planning to implement the sheep distribution programme through off budget borrowings from financial institutions as the scheme drew huge response from the Golla Kuruma communities. 

A total of 50 lakh sheep were already distributed to the beneficiaries.  The scheme would revive the rural economy and help the State emerge in the first position in meat production soon. Fish farming and poultry were also given priority, the Minister said. Rs 109 crore was proposed for poultry development in the budget.  

To revive rural economy, the Minister said, Rs 1,500 crore was allocated to strengthen local bodies and Rs 1,000 crore for urban local bodies. For comprehensive development of villages and strengthen the Panchayat Raj system, the government would bring into force the new Panchayat Raj Act soon, 
Rajender said. 

To promote agriculture as a profitable profession, Rajendar said the government provided Rs 120 crore for poly houses, Rs 127 crore for micro irrigation, Rs 132 crore for cold storage links and construction of godowns in every mandal. Promotion of farm mechanisation with Rs 522 crore outlay was also proposed in the Budget. To address the farmers plights, he said the government constituted Farmers Coordination Committees and also Farmers’ Forums. 

The Minister said the government’s initiative of land records updating programme and simplified land registration would help farming community solve land litigations pending for decades instantly.  He said full-scale subsidy and marketing facilities were provided to handloom industries and offered good wages to weavers. 

The textile park with an investment of Rs 3,400 crore coming up in Warangal would help create huge employment for youth. Rs 1,200 crore was being given for handloom and textiles. He also explained the growth in IT sector and industrial development of the State. Rs 1,286 crore is provided for Industries and Commerce Department in the Budget. 

Towards achieving self-sufficiency in energy sector, the government had already taken up thermal power projects with the total installed capacity of 28,275 MW. Rs 5,650 crore was allotted to meet the power subsidy, Rajendar said, adding that Rs 5,575 crore would be spent for the development of roads and Rs 15,563 crore was proposed for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development.