MIM welcomes Telangana’s first budget

Hyderabad, Nov 5 (INN): MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi has welcomed the Telangana Rashtra Samithi Government’s budget for the State.

“The first budget of the new State of Telangana for the financial year 2014-15 presented by Finance Minister Eatala Rajender today seeks to fulfill the promises made by TRS in its election manifesto,” he said while speaking to media persons. He said that over Rs 1 lakh crore budget has been aimed at ensuring faster development of the State as well as the continuance of welfare schemes for the weaker sections, including the minorities, backward classes, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, disabled and women. “The minorities – Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis – who constitute 14 percent of the State’s population, have been allocated budgetary allocation of Rs 1,030 crores, which is almost double the amount included for Telangana in the Vote-on-Account budget for the erstwhile combined State,” he said.

Akbaruddin Owaisi expressed happiness over the enormous increase in the allocations for minorities welfare. The amount allotted by the TRS government for the minorities in the 10 districts of Telangana is twice as much as the allocation for minorities in the undivided AP (comprising 23 districts) last year. The allocations for this year include Rs 500 crores for scholarships, Rs 95 crores for subsidy for bankable schemes, Rs 100 crores for Shadi Mubarak, Rs 105 crores for multi-sectoral development programme and Rs 53 crores for State Wakf Board. Higher allocations have also been made for Urdu Academy, Haj Committee, Centre for Educational Development of Minorities, Study Circles, Minority Hostels and Residential Schools. Shadikhanas etc., he said.

“For improvement of civic infrastructure in Hyderabad metropolis, higher allocations of Rs 1,248 crores have also been made for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR), Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority. For Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority, however, only a token allocation has been made. Furthermore, Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police have been allotted additional funds of Rs 516 crores,” Akbaruddin Owaisi said.

The MIM leader said that substantial budgetary allocations amounting to Rs 345 crores have also been made for the first time for the teaching hospitals and other government hospitals in Hyderabad, including Osmania and Gandhi, maternity hospitals at Petlaburz and Sultan Bazar, Nilofer, King Kothi, Sarojini Devi Eye, Mental, Chest and ENT Hospitals. However, for AYUSH, including Unani hospitals, similar allocations have not been made.

Though the overall budgetary outlay has been raised to Rs 1,00,638 crores, the budget shows a revenue surplus of Rs 301 crore. The budget, thus, is very ambitious but its realization would depend on achieving additional revenue mobilization in the remaining five months of the financial year, he said.

“The TRS Government, I am sure, would do everything in its power to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people of Telangana and work towards the goal of making the State “Bangaru Telangana.” I hope and trust that the State administration would rise to the occasion and ensure that every rupee sanctioned in the Budget is spent judiciously and fruitfully for the development of the State and welfare of all sections of the people,” he said.