Centre yet to clear Rs. 34,149.71 crore dues to Telangana: Harish Rao

Finance Minister T Harish Rao, in a strong rebuttal of BJP State president Bandi Sanjay Kumar’s allegations that the State government was delaying release of funds to Gram Panchayats, categorically stated it was the BJP government at the Centre, in fact, that owed Telangana Rs 34,149.71 crore in dues under various heads.

Hauling the BJP president over the coals for misguiding sarpanches over alleged delay in clearing pending bills on Wednesday, Harish Rao said: “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union Home Minister Amit Shah recently visited Hyderabad and abused the Telangana Government. But they did not utter a word about the pending dues payable or denied to Telangana.”

Sanjay, in an open letter to sarpanches in the State, alleged that the State government was delaying release of funds. Countering these charges, the Minister said the State government had cleared Palle and Pattana Pragathi bills worth Rs.700 crore in April and May. Bills pertaining to just one week were to be cleared, he clarified.

Stating that Sanjay should instead write a letter to the Central government demanding immediate release of the Rs.34,149 crore dues to Telangana, Harish Rao said the BJP should refrain from resorting to Goebbel’s propaganda over funds release to local bodies.

“As part of Palle and Pattana Pragathi programmes, the State government has spent Rs.11,711 crore so far. In the last financial year alone, Rs.4,619 crore was spent. The State government has been releasing funds promptly to



panchayats and local bodies. It is the Central Government which has been delaying payment of Rs.1,200 crore towards NREGS works,” Harish Rao pointed out at a press conference here.

The Minister also pointed out that despite the Central Finance Commission recommendations to grant Mission Bhagiratha maintenance works costs, the Central government was not releasing funds to Telangana. “In the past, Central governments used to strictly follow Finance Commission recommendations but the BJP government has been ignoring these recommendations,” Harish Rao said.

The State government, he said, was alloting a tractor, trolley and tanker to all gram panchayats in the State besides constructing dump yards and developing Vaikunta Dhamams. “Let us visit any village in the country and check if these facilities are being provided,” the Minister challenged the BJP State leaders.

Reacting to TPCC president A Revanth Reddy’s comments that sarpanches were facing lot of inconvenience due to delay in payments, the Minister reminded that under Congress rule, women had to walk long distances to fetch a pot of water. “All the borewells had gone dry and defunct and there was hardly any power supply in rural areas,” he said.

The Congress party had twice promised to upgrade thandas into Gram Panchayats but failed to deliver on its promises. “It was the TRS government that upgraded 3,146 thandas into Gram Panchayats,” the Minister said.