Telangana pins hopes on Centre for fund push

Hyderabad: As the government earmarked a major portion of funds for the welfare sector in 2018-19 in view of the electioneering year, the Telangana State government decided to rely on the Centre for the completion of the ongoing infrastructure and development projects in the State.

Apart from demanding the Centre to fulfil all the promises made to Telangana under AP Reorganisation Act, the State government put a charter of demands before the Union government seeking more funds ahead of the budget presentation in Parliament on February

Officials of the State Finance Department said the State sought special allocations from the Union government for the completing of ongoing infrastructure projects which includes irrigation projects and road development works.

The demand for allocation of Rs 20,000 crore to Telangana’s flagship schemes Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya had been pending before the Centre. Niti Aayog already gave its nod to the State’s request and forwarded the same to the Centre last year.

The request for the clearance of nearly Rs 5,000 crore funds meant for development of national highways and road network schemes was also pending before the Centre for the last two years. Officials said the government requested the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways to release all the funds in new financial year so that government will get a relief from financial burden to take up new road works.

In view of increasing burden on the government, due to allocations of a whooping Rs 25,000 crore to irrigation projects for the last two years, Finance Minister Eatala Rajender requested that the centre come to the rescue of the State and allocate Rs 10,000 crore for Kaleshwaram project.

Telangana also insisted the Union government to increase matching grant to the centrally sponsored schemes especially Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS) and National Health Mission and Welfare schemes for SC, ST and minorities.

An official letter requesting to earmark special funds for the residential schools opened for all backward communities was also forwarded to the centre recently. The demand for the establishment of Bayyaram steel plant, AIIMS, Horticulture and Tribal University under the AP Reorganisation Act were already pending.

Officials said that Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao is making a big exercise to allocate huge funds for all the existing welfare scheme and the new one to be announced during the presentation of the budget proposals in Assembly in March.

Allocations for welfare will go up to between 60 to 70 per cent in the new budget as against 50 per cent in the previous years. In the present financial situation, the only option before the State government is to seek more funds from the Centre to meet the fund requirement for other developmental programmes in the State.