Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) Parliamentary Party has termed the Union Budget presented to Parliament by the BJP-led Government as “highly disappointing” as there is no road map in it to counter any of the problems being faced by the economy and the country.
Reacting to the budget in New Delhi on Tuesday, Telangana Rashtra Samithi Parliamentary Party leader K. Keshava Rao said there was not even a mention of how the Centre would face the increasing inflation as also the unemployment and poverty problems. He criticised the allocation for the health sector when COVID-19 was not only haunting the masses but also the economy.
Stating that it was sectors such as agriculture and rural employment that helped the country’s economy withstand the onslaught of COVID-19, he said reducing the allocation to National Rural Employment Guarantee Scheme (NREGS) by ₹25,000 crore was very unfortunate. Allocation to rural development department had also come down in this budget, he noted.
Instead of announcing any scheme for the urban employment on the lines of NREGS as suggested by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, there was no mention of the urban poor and unemployment. Against the Centre’s claims that it was pro-agriculture and pro-poor budget, there was no enhancement in allocation to agriculture, SC, ST, Minorities schemes.
Mr. Keshava Rao sought to know whether the Centre was legalising the crypto currency and if not what was the criteria for imposing 30% tax on the digital assets. He also questioned the Centre why it was delaying sanctioning IIM to Telangana as promised in the bifurcation act, lest giving medical colleges.
On the issue of water disputes, the Telangana Rashtra Samithi MP sought to know what was the status of the promise made to set up a new tribunal for resolving water disputes, particularly between Telangana and Andhra Pradesh in the matter of sharing Krishna waters, or give the matter of water shares to the existing tribunal.
He also faulted the Centre’s move to privatise LIC which was running in profits.
