Rama Krishna Sangem
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi led BJP government has don a lot for Telangana in the last nine years – from 2014 – to 2023, compared to what the previous Centre had done in a decade from 2004-14,” said Union Tourism and Culture Minister G Kishan Reddy, who released a report card in Hyderabad on June 17, Saturday. This is part of Modi government’s achievements in the last nine years.
Kishan Reddy claimed that the biggest reform of the Modi government was to increase devolution of funds from the Centre to states from previous 32 per cent to 42 per cent as per the recommendations of 14th finance commission report. “This is the major step in direction of fostering cooperative federalism. The finances of states have been strengthened to a large extent,” said the union minister.
Kishan Reddy also looks after the portfolio of North Eastern states development said that the Modi government has given states as much as Rs 69.60 lakh crore in the last nine years, as against Rs 18.50 lakh crore in the previous decade of UPA government. “This is 3.75 times higher than the earlier government,” said Kishan Reddy. States have got greater freedom in financial allocations.
Telangana too got a higher share of central funds in the central taxes in the last nine years. “Telangana got Rs 1.60 lakh crore from 2014 to 2023, as against Rs 45,16,900 crore in the previous decade from 2004-14. This is 3.54 times higher than the UPA regime’s transfer of funds,” he said. Even under GST which came into being from July 1, 201, the Centre has given Rs 15,329 crore to Telangana as compensation including Covid assistance, Reddy said.
Rapid infra development
Kishan Reddy gave details of sector wise allocations to Telangana in the last nine years and said that an unprecedented growth of infrastructure network has been created in the state. The total length of National Highways was at 2,512 km in 2014, but this has been increased to 5,012 km now, he said. Rs 21,201 crore are being spent on Hyderabad’s 348 km long Regional Ring Road, said Kishan Reddy.
Kishan Reddy gave statistics on different sectors like education, welfare, agriculture, irrigation, railways, airports and basic facilities to the state of Telangana in the last nine years and said that this outmatches what had been done in the previous several decades. As many as Rs 9.5 lakh crore of financial assistance was given to individuals from Telangana under various schemes, said Kishan Reddy.
