Further, he said the BRS government ensured a value creation of more than Rs 50 lakh crore in Telangana in the last 10 years.
Published Date – 07:35 PM, Sun – 24 December 23
Hyderabad: Debunking the Congress government’s claims of Telangana debts accumulating to Rs 6,71,757 crore, BRS working president KT Rama Rao asserted that the outstanding debts obtained by Telangana during the previous BRS government’s tenure amount to Rs 3,17,015 crore. Further, he said the BRS government ensured a value creation of more than Rs 50 lakh crore in Telangana in the last 10 years.
In a strong counter to the Congress government’s white paper on Telangana’s finances, Rama Rao made a presentation titled ‘Sweda Patram’ at the BRS State headquarters in Telangana Bhavan here on Sunday, accusing the former of attempting to tarnish Telangana’s image by portraying it as a failed State. “This government seems to be hell-bent on destroying the image of the newly formed state of Telangana, which is the most successful state in the entire country. There is an attempt to discredit the work of the BRS government,” he added.
Setting the record straight using data acquired from the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and NITI Aayog reports, Rama Rao explained that as per the Fiscal Responsibility and Budgement Management (FRBM) Act norms, Telangana’s total debt is Rs 3,89,673 lakh crore. Of this, Rs 72,658 crore was inherited from the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh in population ratio. Therefore, the actual loans obtained during the BRS tenure stand at Rs 3,17,015 crore. “The rest are loans raised by special purpose vehicles (SPVs), corporations and institutions for capital investments under self-hypothecation which have much bigger asset base and can clear the loans on their own,” he said.
The former Minister said even temporary loans of Rs 56,000 crore obtained by the State Civil Supplies Corporations ot clear payments to farmers against paddy procurement, were also projected as government loans. He said the government has conveniently suppressed figures or used them to its advantage than presenting the factual report. As regards the Civil Supplies department, the outstanding debt is only Rs 21,029 crore, he said.
Rama Rao dismissed the Congress’s argument that Rs 4.98 lakh crore were spent by the erstwhile Andhra Pradesh government in Telangana over 60 years. He reminded that if the amount was rightfully spent in Telangana, there would not have been a separate statehood movement. He pointed out that the previous governments, as per the white paper itself, spent Rs 4.98 lakh crore in 60 years, contrasting it with Rs 13.72 lakh crore spent in less than 10 years under the BRS regime.
He said the per capita income grew from Rs 1,12,162 in 2014 to Rs 3,17,115 in 2023. Similarly, GSDP grew from Rs 4.51 lakh crore to Rs 13.27 lakh crore, while poverty reduced from 21.92 per cent to just 5.8 per cent during the corresponding period. “However, they say that the BRS government did not work properly. Isn’t this proof that the Congress government has given false calculations in its white paper? Don’t you understand that their objective is to sling mud at the BRS?” he asked.
The BRS working president said the Congress may run politically targeted campaigns against the BRS, but should not discredit the State’s performance and create a wrong perception for investors. He touched upon multiple sectors like finance, agriculture, irrigation, power, health, education, development of Hyderabad, roads and buildings, IT and others in detail, duing his presentation. He said minor issues in the Kaleshwaram project cannot undermine its utility and the present government should take advantage of the facilities created and improve further. “Telangana stands as a guiding light for the nation. We will not let the hope of the people die. As a responsible opposition, we are committed to stand by the people,” he said.
Earlier, Rama Rao explained about the challenges confronted by the BRS government after Telangana State formation. Apart from the financial crisis and political conspiracies to dethrone the government, the BRS (then TRS) government was tasked with distribution of employees and assets post bifurcation. There was a 2,700-megawatt power deficit. “We have inherited issues like fluorosis due to lack of clean drinking water, water scarcity, lack of medical facilities, etc. We have tasked ourselves to work on improving the livelihood of farmers, boosting law and order and irrigation challenges,” he added.
Top Points
– Outstanding debt of Telangana is Rs 3,17,015 crore, not Rs 6,71,757 crore.
– Outstanding debt of Civil Supplies is Rs 21,029 crore, not Rs 56,000 crore.
– BRS govt spent Rs 13.72 lakh crore in less than 10 years, against Rs 4.98 lakh crore by previous Congress govts in erstwhile AP in more than 60 years.
Under BRS rule
– Wealth creation of more than Rs 50 lakh crore in Telangana
– Per capita income grew from Rs 1,12,162 in 2014 to Rs 3,17,115 in 2023.
– GSDP grew from Rs 4.51 lakh crore to Rs 13.27 lakh crore.
– Poverty reduced from 21.92 per cent to just 5.8 per cent.
– Total expenditure in the Power sector was Rs 1,37,517 crore in the BRS regime, but the present value of the assets created was Rs 6,87,585 crore.
