Harish slams Centre over DRASTIC power reforms

Hyderabad: The State Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Monday made public the communication received by the State government from the Centre to accept the power reforms fixing motors to agriculture pump sets so as to get an additional borrowing of Rs 6,000 Crore (0.5 percent of FRBM).

Addressing a press conference here at Telangana Bhavan, Harish Rao released the papers pertaining to the Union Finance Ministry asking the State to implement the power reforms. The note said, "Full marks if there is no power subsidy for agriculture connections in the State. One mark will be awarded for every 5 percent of the power subsidy. Payment of incentives to farmers for a reduction in power consumption will also be considered. For this, the connection should be metered. Monthly quota for power consumption should be prescribed and the farmer should be paid cash incentives for consuming less than the prescribed quota."

Lashing out at Union Minister G Kishan Reddy, Harish Rao said that one can understand if a layman says there is no condition but being a Union Minister, Kishan Reddy was lying.

"Modi government offered Rs 30,000 Crore borrowing for power reforms but Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao rejected them and clearly said that he will not fix meters," said Harish Rao asking the Union Minister to get Rs 12,000 Crore for the last two years if there was no mention of reforms.

Harish Rao also took exception to the comments of the Union Minister that the Centre provided Rs 800 Crore for the Fluoride problem and said that the NITI Aayog hailed the State government's Mission Bhagiratha program and recommended assistance of Rs 19,200 Crore.

However, the Centre did not release a single rupee for the scheme. The Centre also did not release the 50 percent share in the Har Ghar Jal scheme to the State, alleged Harish Rao.

The Minister also clarified that the State government never supported 5 percent GST on handloom products. He said that the proposal had come up in 2017 when Eatala Rajender was the Finance Minister and he too had opposed GST. The Minister released the printed speech copy of the then Finance Minister in the GST Council meeting. Ridiculing the BJP leader's allegations of joining other party MLAs, Harish Rao said that the BJP had also joined MPs of TDP by merging them with BJP.

Replying to a question on withdrawing permission to CBI, Harish Rao questioned why the BJP leader Premender Reddy demanded the Court to transfer the bribing case of MLAs to CBI. "They are afraid of getting naked here hence they want an inquiry by their agencies. You can only terrorise with agencies like ED and CBI. While we are constructing lift (irrigation projects), you are lifting MLAs," said Harish Rao targeting the BJP leaders.