Nirmala Sitharaman presents Union Budget; KTR expresses sadness over zero allocations for Telangana
Hyderabad: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the seventh consecutive Union Budget for the fiscal year 2024-25 on Tuesday, July 23, 2024. KT Rama Rao, the working president of Bharat Rashtra Samithi, expressed disappointment over the lack of allocations for Telangana in the Union Budget.
Reacting to the absence of necessary allocations for Telangana in the Union Budget, KTR said, “We had hoped that Nirmala Sitharaman, a Telugu daughter-in-law herself, would allocate funds to Telangana as well, but we received nothing. Despite a budget of ₹48,21,000 crores, only a few states received substantial amounts,” he remarked.
He added that it is disappointing that Telangana is not mentioned in the entire budget. “Once again, Telangana has received nothing. In the past, KCR requested the central government to fulfill nearly 35 promises made under the Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act. There is no mention of additional funds for Mulugu University, the Bayyaram Steel Factory, or the Railway Coach Factory in Kazipet. Despite our requests, national status has not been granted to any irrigation projects in the state. We requested central national institutes such as IIM, but not a single one was given.”
KTR said, “The center also did not respond to the request to set up a new handloom cluster along with the mega power loom cluster. Telangana Chief Minister and Ministers went to Delhi and were ignored. Telangana once again got a cut in this central budget.”
KTR questioned the people of Telangana about the implications of allocating 16 seats to national parties like the BJP and Congress. “The people of Telangana should consider the funds allocated to Andhra Pradesh and Bihar, which also have 16 seats. This highlights why regional powers need to be strengthened,” he asserted.
Further elaborating, KTR mentioned the silence of BJP and Congress MPs from Telangana in Parliament. “These MPs, who often oppose anti-central stances, did not utter a word in Parliament,” he stated.
BRS Working President @KTRBRS Reacts to Union Budget 2024 https://t.co/VdeuOtEicY
— BRS Party (@BRSparty) July 23, 2024
KTR expressed regret over the lack of funds despite Telangana contributing 8 MPs. “We are not upset about the funds given to Andhra Pradesh, but it is disappointing that only Bihar and Andhra Pradesh received allocations while 26 other states were overlooked,” he lamented.
He criticized the disparity, saying, “The Andhra Pradesh Reorganization Act is frequently mentioned, yet Telangana is ignored. Special funds are promised for industrial development in Amaravati and Polavaram in Andhra Pradesh, but we have been overlooked.”
KTR reiterated, “We are happy for Andhra Pradesh but deeply disappointed by the neglect of Telangana’s demands.”
