KTR expresses displeasure over lack of allocations to TS in Union Budget

Hyderabad: TRS working president KT Rama Rao expressed disappointment over lack of specific allocations to Telangana State in the Union Budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in the Parliament on Friday. He termed the Union budget as ‘disappointing and insipid from Telangana’s perspective’.

In a series of tweets on Saturday, Rama Rao ripped apart the Union Budget for lack of any allocations to the State and exposed the Centre’s double standards towards novel initiatives of the State. He stated that while the Centre and several national institutions kept praising the State for its performance, there has been no support for taking forward these initiatives. “Economic survey praises Telangana’s initiatives but Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Ji completely ignores a performing State’s (Telangana’s) requests for support,” he said.

The TRS working president pointed out that NITI Aayog lauded Mission Kakatiya (lake restoration and strengthening) and Mission Bhagiratha (drinking water grid) as well as recommended to the Government of India to allocate Rs 24,000 crore to both these schemes of Telangana State, but



there were no allocations. Further, he stated that Telangana State had repeatedly demanded national project status for either Kaleshwaram or Palamuru Lift Irrigation Project on various forums. “But no mention or even acknowledgement. Are Telangana’s projects not in the interest of our nation?,” he asked the Union Finance Minister.

Rama Rao accused the Centre for not honouring the promises made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act even after five years of the State formation. “Integrated steel plant at Bayyaram, rail coach factory at Warangal, tribal university etc – Why this indifference to a promising young State?,” he asked. He said there had been no support for Kakatiya Mega Textile Park, Information Technology Investment Region for Hyderabad, and also pharmaceutical and life sceiences sector in Hyderabad, which are three important sectors for the State.

Expressing displeasure over hike in prices of petrol and diesel, Rama Rao cited an old tweet of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his stint as Chief Minister of Gujarat which stated, “Raising prices on petrol and diesel will lead to escalation of burden on daily consumables of all Indians.”