Telangana Draws A Blank In The Budget

The budget submitted by Union Finance Minister, Arun Jaitley, has avoided making any commitments to the development of Telangana in budgetary allocations. According to the AP Re-Organization Act, both Telangana & AP States are supposed to get special tax incentives to spur growth in their regions. There is no reference the budget made in this regard. The minister just said the Government is “committed” to the development of these two States and that various departments were making proposals in this regard. 

Telangana didn’t figure anywhere in the budget except getting a horticultural university, which was one of the promises of AP ReOrg Act. That of course didn’t stop Telangana BJP leaders from hailing the budget saying it is encouraging for infrastructure, agriculture and handicrafts!

Telangana Chief Minister KCR said the Centre is not doing justice to the newly-formed state in the Union budget and said it has not got any thing new except a Horticulture University. “There is nothing that the Centre has given afresh. We sought a lot for the development of Telangana from the Centre. But the Centre has not done justice to Telangana in the budget,” KCR was quoted as saying in a release from Chief Minister’s Office.

 “We expected moral support from the Modi government, but it has totally ignored the needs of Telangana. This kind of bias is uncalled for. The Centre should have provided equal justice to Telangana and Andhra Pradesh,” MP Kavitha said.

Asking people not to be disheartened at the Centre’s stance, the MP said “This cannot go on for long. Their attempts will not succeed in the long run. Support or no support, development in Telangana cannot be curtailed. The development will go on. We will fight for schemes and funds with the central government departments,”.

On the other hand, in the industrial blueprint of the new NDA Govt, AP figured at the top with the proposed industrial corridor between Visakhapatnam and Chennai. The Kakinada port and its adjoining areas would be developed as an economic growth centre, with special focus on hardware manufacturing. The Krishnapatnam port in the Chennai-Bengaluru industrial corridor region would be developed as a smart city.

AP also figured prominently in the list of States getting prestigious institutions. Andhra Pradesh has been given three institutes, namely All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Indian Institute of Technology (locations not announced) and a customs and central excise academy at Hindupur. Telangana could get just one – a horticulture university.