Budget dashes hopes of State: TRS

Hyderabad: TRS leaders on Saturday said that the annual budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was deadpan and added that there was nothing new in the budget.

TRS leader and Telangana State Planning Board vice-chairman B Vinod Kumar said that the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitaraman was deadpan and there was nothing new in the budget.

"Even though Prime Minister Narendra Modi took charge for the second time it is unfortunate that there is no flagship scheme which they can claim to have brought.

The allocations to the departments are made routinely and there were no new thoughts," said Vinod Kumar. Vinod Kumar further alleged that though the Centre says the country was young, there was not even a single new scheme for the youth.

He said that the Centre has not increased single paisa on the skill development. He expressed dissatisfaction that the Centre which says education and health were important has not allocated funds for these. There is nothing new in the budget and it is not going to benefit the State by any means.

Leader of the party in Lok Sabha Nama Nageswara Rao said that State government expected sops for the fast developing Telangana, which is number one in many fronts mainly in the revenue growth.

He said that the Centre ignored the demand of the State government to provide national project status to Kaleshwaram, implementation of promises made in the AP Reorganisation Act, Industrial corridor etc.

"We wanted the Tribal Museum to be set up in Telangana but the Centre allocates it to Ranchi. Our Samakka Sarlamma Jatara is big Tribal festival but there is no recognition," said Nageswara Rao.

He further said that farmers were not given input money but the Centre talks of doubling the income of the farmer. He said that the Central policies were not in favour of growth.

Agriculture Minister S Niranjan Reddy said it was unfortunate to ignore the demand for national project status to Kaleshwaram project. "People of the state were expecting national project status either to Kaleshwaram or Palamuru but Centre ignored it," said Niranjan Reddy.

Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has been demanding linking of NREGA with agriculture and a resolution was also sent by Assembly but the Centre has only linked with fodder. The Centre has not responded positively even at a time when there is a shortage of farm labour.