NE BUSINESS BUREAU
HYDERABAD, FEB 1
The union Budget 2022-23 turned out to be a major disappointment for Telangana, with no specific assurances or allocations given to support the State in the next fiscal. union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the budget in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, had no provision to address the promises made under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and completely ignored the requests from Telangana government.
The State government had high expectations from the union Budget 2022-23 where the former had already made multiple representations to the union Ministers concerned as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. However, the officials stated that one would have to wait to find out whether there would be generous allocations to the State or nothing at all.
The State government made requests pertaining to nearly 35 issues, including assurances given under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, but none found any mention in the union Budget 2022-23. Thus, the State government’s hopes for a tribal university in Mulugu, steel plant at Bayyaram and a railway coach factory at Kazipet among others, have been watered down.
There was no mention of educational institutions of national prominence including IIM, NID, IISER, Navodaya and Kedriya Vidyalayas among others. The request for budgetary support for development of industrial corridors, Information Technology Investment Region, Hyderabad Pharma City, mega handloom/powerloom cluster, mega textile park, and other industrial infrastructure development projects.
However, some economic experts are optimistic and point out that the union Budget does not make any specific announcements, but had a few promises where Telangana can expect some respite. For instance, Nirmala Sitharaman announced the Centre’s plans for river interlinking projects including Godavari-Krishna for which Telangana along with Andhra Pradesh stand a chance.
Official sources pointed out that though there was mention of a few projects for implementation at the national level, there was no clarity on allocation of funds towards requests like release of GST dues and IGST settlement, Backward Region Grant Funds, 100 cargo terminals in railway stations, four multi-model logistic parks, new metro projects, and development of 20,000 km of national highways, among others.
It’s just a ‘Golmaal Budget’, says KCR
Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao expressed his severe disappointment and unhappiness over the lack of allocations to the State as well as different sections of the society in the union Budget 2022-23 presented in the Parliament on Tuesday.
He said the budget offered nothing for the SC, ST, BC, minorities as well as farmers, the poor, the working class and the employees in the country.
“The union Budget by the BJP-led Central government is directionless and useless serving no purpose. The budget speech read out by union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman was ‘full of ambiguity and rhetoric,” he said.
In a statement, the Chief Minister termed the union Budget as a ‘Golmaal Budget’ which was full of praises for the union government and jumbling of numbers, leaving the common man in a state of despair.
Describing the Centre’s allocations towards the agriculture sector as a ‘Big Zero’, he said the Centre did not take any measures to support the sector. It also gave a raw deal to the handloom and textiles sector, with no support offered to the weavers.
Chandrashekhar Rao said the budget left bitterness among the employees and small traders, with no change in the income tax slabs. “The union Budget has watered down the hopes of the working class and other taxpayers who are eagerly awaiting a change in IT slabs for a long time,” he added.
The Chief Minister found that the union Budget reflected the Centre’s negligence towards development of health and infrastructure sectors. “Due to Covid-19 pandemic, there is an increased emphasis on improving health infrastructure around the world. But unfortunately, the union government does not have the wherewithal to do that,” he said.
He expressed dissatisfaction over the Centre’s failure in taking measures to improve health infrastructure and He found it strange that the Centre was least bothered about the public health.
