Deputy CM says Telangana Rs 7.11 lakh crores in debt, will borrow to pay back BRS loans

Hyderabad: Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Thursday said that the State owes Rs 7.11 lakh crores in debt and that the recently elected Congress government will borrow money following the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRMB) guidelines in addition to borrowing money to cover the interest on previous loans taken by the BRS.

In a reply to the discussion on the interim (vote-on-account) budget at the State Legislative Assembly, Bhatti Vikramarka said that around Rs 53,000 crores was allocated for the implementation of six guarantees promised by the government.

‘15.50 crore women availed zero tickets’

Speaking about Rythu Bharosa, he said, “We have allocated Rs 15.175 crores. At the field level, we scrutinised the applications received, made estimates and gave funds to Rythu Bharosa. In this way, we have allocated funds for the construction of Indiramma houses,” he said.

We are giving Rs 300 crores per month in addition to TSRTC to implement the Mahalakshmi scheme. Around 15.50 crore women have availed of zero tickets. If the current funds for the Gruha Lakshmi scheme are not enough we will give some more funds. As said earlier, we will give 200 units of free electricity,” he added.

‘BRS spending from state budget insufficient’

“From 2014 to 2023, the previous Bharat Rashtra Samithi government has spent only Rs 12,25,326 crores against an input of Rs 14,87,834 crores,” he said. The deputy chief minister said that while Rs 2,62,518 crores has not been spent, there is also a difference of Rs 70,000 crores in the State Budget during the fiscal 2023-24.

He also said that by allocating funds in the budget and raising them without revenue, the welfare schemes allocated for the poor and underprivileged sections will be slashed.

“It is unfortunate that the expenditure in Telangana Budget, which has a good income, is only 79 per cent,” he said. In the last decade, the previous government’s budget was not disclosed and was heavily spent, even as the promises made to Dalits to provide them with three acres of land and double-bedroom dwellings were not fulfilled, he added.

Allocations for filing vacant government posts

Bhatti Vikarmarka also pointed out that there was a difference of 25 to 30 per cent in the estimate in each budget during the previous government rule.

“We have prepared a budget estimate based on the state’s income and given it realistically in a systematic manner. The SC, ST and BC corporations were not given loans in the past. We have systematically prepared the budget so that we also don’t do that.

Speaking about filing government posts, the deputy CM said that several unemployed youths had waited for almost a decade for Group I job notification and a majority of the working people have spent a lot of money on coaching centres. “As soon as Congress came to power, we released notification for 503 jobs under Group I and revamped the TSPSC and deployed additional staff. Around Rs 40 crores has been allotted for this purpose,” the deputy chief minister said.

Increasing revenue income without taxation

Taking potshots at the BRS, Bhatti Vikramarka said that the previous government bankrupted the state to such an extent it could not pay salaries to the employees.

“We have shown Rs 60,000 crores in the budget as per GSDP. The government will augment revenue income without taxation. We will consult international experts for advice in this regard. We are devising procedures for the protection of Dr BR Ambedkar Abhaya Hastam. Allotment of funds will be done once the roadmap is completed. The Congress government gives top priority to the development of SC and ST, BC and minorities. Our government is working to build a social Telangana,” he said.

‘Dharani ruined the state’

Expressing concerns over the stray dog attacks in the state, Bhatti Vikramarka said, “Stray dog attacks on humans are increasing. Actions will be taken to prevent this. We will prepare an action plan with the veterinary authorities.”

On double-room houses, he said that a decision on the allotment would be taken soon. The deputy chief minister said that the Dharani portal has become a white elephant for the state and ruined the revenue system.

“We set up a committee to clean and fix it. We will take action after the report from the committee,” he said and added that the government would protect the encroached lands in Hyderabad.