Hyderabad: “The country’s SC and ST population was estimated to be 38– 40 crore, but the federal government provided just Rs 12,800 crore in the budget for their welfare, significantly less what Telangana budgeted for the SC-ST sub-plan,” said CM K Chandrasekhar Rao on Wednesday.
“This is pathetic. Telangana is spending Rs 33,611 crore for SC and ST sub-plans in addition to allocations made for the Dalit Bandhu and other schemes,” he remarked.
He also pointed out that Telangana got just Rs 42,000 crore under centrally sponsored initiatives in the previous eight years, significantly less than the Rs 50,000 crore spent by the state government on the Rythu Bandhu scheme.
Chandrasekhar Rao criticized the Centre for announcing plans to connect the Krishna, Godavari, and Cavery rivers without consulting stakeholder states. He called it a millennium joke and requested that the Modi administration clarify its stance on river interlinking and the capabilities of the Centre to support it.
“According to a Bachawat Tribunal decision, Telugu States have complete ownership of Godavari River water once it enters their respective states. “How can you go against the Tribunal’s decision, which is comparable to the Supreme Court’s decision?” he asked, Telangana Today reported.
He also asked why the Centre was not approving irrigation projects suggested by the Telangana government despite the availability of surplus water.
“We have submitted all reports along with relevant documents, but the Centre has not responded till date. If not bluffing the people of the nation or attempting to intimidate the States in violation of the federal system of this country, how can the Centre take up interlinking of rivers without the consent of the States concerned,” the Chief Minister asked.
Further, he noted that river interlinking cannot proceed without excess waters being declared, and he asked to know how the union government arrived at its decision on surplus waters in the Krishna and Godavari rivers.
According to KCR, there have been water conflicts between states as well as drinking water shortages in regions of the country as a result of the Centre’s inadequate water policy and inept management.
Despite the negative effects of COVID-19, he claims, the union government has not increased funding commitments for health infrastructure. He criticised the conditional support provided to states under Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) for rising borrowings by an additional 0.5 percent by requiring the installation of energy metres on farm connections in the guise of power reforms.
The Chief Minister dismissed a Rs 60,000 crore allocation for tap water connections under the Jal Shakti Mission as “bogus,” noting that Telangana had spent roughly Rs 40,000 crore on Mission Bhagiratha, which provided drinking water connections to every family in the state.
He added that the Centre lowered the food subsidy by Rs 65,000 crore from Rs 2.11 lakh crore in the previous budget to Rs 1.45 lakh crore at a time when India was listed below Nepal, Bangladesh, and Pakistan in the Global Hunger Index. He stated that there was no guarantee that farmers would get a Minimum Support Price.
Additionally, he requested an explanation for why the Centre, which had justified the sale of Air India on the basis of losses, was now selling off Life Insurance Corporation of India despite the latter’s substantial earnings. He characterised the action as an effort to appease multinational insurance firms.
