HYDERABAD: Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao described as progressive and balanced the state budget for 2020-21 presented in the assembly on Sunday. Reacting to the budget presented by finance minister T Harish Rao, the opposition Congress and BJP said the budget was 'unrealistic and disappointing" to the people.

The Chief Minister, in a statement, expressed satisfaction over the allocations made in the Budget for welfare of all sections and for all sectors. In spite of the economic slowdown in the country and the decline in state revenues and funds from the Centre, the budget was made in such way that no development activity in the state is hampered, he said.

Meanwhile, Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader M Bhatti Vikramarka alleged that employment generation and distribution of lands for poor found no place in the Budget.

"Is it not unrealistic to have a budget of Rs 1.82 lakh crore, when your revenues are just Rs 1.10 lakh crore," senior congress leader Mohd Shabbir Ali said.

State BJP president K Laxman alleged that there has been a major gap between allocations and actual expenditure during the last six years (since TRS came to power in 2014). Not even 60 per cent of the allocations has been spent, he claimed.

The state government should explain how the size of the budget has been increased from Rs 1.46 lakh crore to Rs 1.82 lakh crore while saying that there is an economic slowdown in the country, the BJP leader said. It is not correct to say that funds from the Centre have come down, he added. (PTI)

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