Highlights of Telangana's maiden budget

Finance Minister Etela Rajender presented the maiden budget for the nascent Telangana state in the Assembly, which met on Wednesday.

The budget is for 10 months and the highlights of the budget speech are as follows:

* GPS facility to be provided to the police in Hyderabad city at a cost of Rs 350 crore. Rs 21.4 crore for police communication modernisation.

* RTC to get 1000 new buses. Necessary allocations would be made.

* The T government is preparing plans to produce 25000 mega watts of power in the coming five years. Telangana will have adequate power supply in three years. Govt committed to promote solar, water and thermal power generation. Total allocation for power sector is Rs 3741 crore.

* T government proposes Telangana Kala Bhavan in 11 acres in Indira Park.

* Massive plans to develop Yadagiri Gutta. Rs 100 crore allocated for temple area development. Rs 100 crore allocated for Godavari pushkarams.

* Rs 60 crore allocated for Tourism development.

* The MLA local area development fund hiked from Rs 1 crore to Rs 1.5 crore

* For improving the education in a phased manner, Rs 10956 crore has been allocated.

* Rs 2282 crore allocated for medical and health sector. Medical university to be set up at Warangal.

* Telangana will have an investor friendly industrial policy. The permissions would be given in the CM's office.

* Poultry industry would be recognised as agriculture. Poultry workers would be recognised as farmers. The government would allocate Rs 16.03 crore for dairy development.

* To promote fisheries and the fishermen, a modern plan is being put in place in Telangana.

* To alleviate the lot of the 15 per cent SC, STs in Telangana state, the social welfare department would be reorganised as SC development department.

* Jodeghat would be developed as Komaram Bheem development area. A tribal museum and a tourism spot would be developed in Jodeghat.

* 245 crore for setting up education of tribal. Total allocation for tribal development is Rs 4500 crore. The tribal component in the budget would be 98.15 per cent.

* For the 45 per cent BCs, there was never a policy for BC welfare. The BC corporation has proved to be a failure. Rs 2228 crore would be allocated for BC welfare. Rs 1030 crore allocated for minority welfare.

* Total planned expenditure is Rs 48648 crore, non-planned expenditure Rs 51989 crore. Budgetary deficit is Rs 17398 crore. Total budgetary allocation is Rs 100637 crore.
* Rs 50 crore allocated for making Telangana as the seed bank of the nation. The governmehnt will promote soil testing, farm mechanisation. Rs 100 crore allocated for farm mechanisation.
* to promote horticulture, the Telangana government allocates Rs 250 crore. Green house would be built in 1000 acres. !00 per cent subsity to SC, STs to promote drip irrigation. Rs 250 crore allocated for promoting drip irrigation.
* Poultry industry would be recognised as agriculture. Poultry workers would be recognised as farmers. The government would allocate Rs 16.03 crore for dairy development.
* To promote fisheries and the fishermen, a modern plan is being put in place in Telangana.
* To alleviate the lot of the 15 per cent SC, STs in Telangana state, the social welfare department would be reorganised as SC development department.
* The Telangana government is committed to create water grids to supply drinking water to every home. For this, the government needs Rs 25000 crore. This year, we are allocating Rs 2000 crore for this.
* Over 25000 farmers have committed suicides during the 1995-2004 period. Crop and gold loans worth Rs 17000 crore have been waived. Telangana is has waived the largest amount of loans in the country.
* Telangana government allocates Rs 480.43 crores for providing input subsidy for the farmers. The Government is committed to the welfare of the farmers. To make the agriculture remunerative, the government has allocated Rs 400 crore for agricultural market intervention.
* We will ensure that every paisa is put to proper use. We conducted the integrated household survey to ensure that there is no misuse of funds. We have devised several schemes to this end.
* The growth rate has come down to 4. 1 per cent. This is because of the wrong policies. The industrial growth is not up to the mark. This is one of the major hindrances for Telangana's growth and development.
* The per capita income figures are deceptive. While the per capita income in Telangana state is Rs 931000 as against the national average of Rs 74900, the income is skewed. Only three districts have per capita income more than the national average. While the other seven districts are lagging behind.
* The Telangana government will give ex-gratia to 459 Telangana martyrs at the rate of 10 lakh per bereaved family. The government has allocated Rs 100 crore for the purpose.
* Telangana had its own linked reservoir system and its own watershed as early as 12th Century. This system has been decimated in the name of minor irrigation and the depletion of groundwater levels has completely devastated the agriculture sector. The government will develop and improve 45000 minor tanks and reservoirs in the coming five years.
* Rs 2000 crore would be allocated to improve and rejuvenate 9000 water reservoirs and tanks this year.
* Four lift irrigation schemes would be completed this year in Mahabubnagar alone. A total of 6500 crore would be allocated for this.
* It is a historic occasion. We suffered insults and innuendo in this very house. Today we are able to present the budget of Telangana state.
* Our aim is to ensure a golden future for the Telangana state and to protect its interests.
* We have several challenges before us. The society is divided. We need to unite the people. The Telangana has been deprived of a lot of things. Though expansionist rule has gone, the expansionist tendencies are still challenging us. We will rebuild all the sectors that have been devastated under the rule of expansionists.
-Sakshipost