Both the Telugu states seem to have received a raw deal in the Union Budget, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, as none of the projects initiated by these two Telugu state governments figured in financial allocations, except the Polavaram project.
After a delay of over eight years, finally the Center has approved the revised estimations for Polavaram project and the Finance Minister stated the revised estimation as Rs 30,436.95 crore to hold water upto 41.15 meters. But, she has made no commitment on expenditure towards rehabilitation of displaced persons.
He said that the balance grant required for the construction of this project is Rs. 12157.53 crore, of which Rs. 5936 crore has been allocated in the current budget. It may be recalled that it is only a marginal increase from the Rs 12,000 crore allocated in the last year’s budget.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh alleged that the budget was mainly focused on Bihar keeping in mind the upcoming Bihar elections, but he lamented why Andhra Pradesh was neglected so badly. He questioned why not a single paisa was allocated to AP in this budget, though the survival of Narendra Modi government depends upon crucial support from TDP.
Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu visited Delhi a couple of times, held meetings with PM Modi and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking funds for Amaravati capital, river linkage project and Metro Rail projects in Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam. But, none of them figured in the budget.
Moreover, none of the pending issues from the AP Reorganization Act also figured in it. The Center has been keeping issues like funds for the backward areas and industrial corridors kept in cold storage.
Meanwhile, senior BRS leader and former finance minister T Harish Rao wondered why there was no place for Telangana state in the budget? Are the interests of Telangana region not valued?, he asked. He lamented that this is not like the central budget, but just like the budget of three or four states.
He asked BJP leaders what has Telangana achieved with two central ministers and 8 MPs from Telangana? He accused that the BJP government at the center has once again proven through the budget that they have no interest in the development of Telangana, which contributes 5.1 percent to the central GDP.
He deplored that it is sad that the funds due to the AP Reorganization Act have not been given to the Tribal University. Stating that Chief Minister Revanth Reddy went to Delhi more than 30 times in a year, Harish Rao said that he should answer to the people of Telangana for what he has achieved? He alleged that Telangana has been dealt immense injustice due to the behavior of the BJP and Congress parties.