Centre has been generous towards TS, claims Union Finance Minister

Hyderabad: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Monday claimed that the Centre has been liberal towards extending all possible financial assistance to the Telangana State since its formation.

She was making an official statement in Lok Sabha on the financial assistance extended to the Telangana State every financial year since 2014-15.

To a question raised by Telangana Congress MP Komatireddy Venkat Reddy in the Lower House of the Parliament, the Union minister said that the Telangana has been receiving adequate financial help from the Centre and the Union government is also releasing the State share from the Central taxes without any delay.

The Minister said that the Centre had released Rs 13,000 crore tax devolution to Telangana as on February 5. In 2018-19, the tax devolution was Rs 18,560 crore and it was Rs 16,420 crore in 2017-18. . She said that Telangana got Rs 14,870 crore in 2016-17 and Rs 12,350 crore in 2015-16.

For local bodies, the Centre had already released Rs 1,952 crore which is the highest in the last five year to the Telangana, the Minister said, however, no special assistance was given to the State in the current financial year.

In the last three financial years, the Union government released Rs 450 crore every year as special assistance, said the Minister.