Union Home Minister Amit Shah misled the people by making claims about a higher devolution of funds and share in taxes to Telangana from the Centre than what actually reached the State, said vice chairman of the State Planning Board B. Vinod Kumar on Monday and suggested that the former cross-check the numbers available with the Centre.
Referring to the claims of the Union Minister on the devolution of funds from the Centre to Telangana during a public meeting at Chevella on Sunday, Mr. Vinod Kumar said Telangana was given only ₹15,307 crore against the claim of ₹30,000 crore in 2014-15.
He explained that the funds (grants-in-aid) were given in the form of Centrally sponsored schemes, special package (BRGF), Finance Commission, NDRF, CST compensation, GST compensation, IGST settlement, State Plan Grants and Central taxes in 2014-15. Similarly in 2022-23, the State received only ₹32,756 crore against the claim of ₹1.2 lakh crore made by the Union Minister.
Demanding an apology from Mr. Shah for misleading the people by spreading misinformation, Mr. Vinod Kumar pointed out that against the road cess of ₹39,189 crore contributed by Telangana, the Centre had given only ₹34,000 crore to the State for development of roads.
Despite a lack of cooperation from the Centre, the State government was helping families of farmers on the death of landholders, irrespective of the cause, by giving them ₹5 lakh under the Rythu Bima scheme and the BJP was publicising those deaths as suicides, he said.
He said the increase of national highways network was a provision made in the Bifurcation Act (APRA-2014) and it was the right of Telangana and not alms from the Centre. He stated that national highways were funded from the cess collections from petroleum products.
Mr. Vinod Kumar suggested that the Union Minister, responsible for the implementation of bifurcation promises, establish a railway coach factory at Kazipet and a steel company at Bayyaram and fulfil other unkept promises.
