Hyderabad, March 3 Union Coal Minister G Kishan Reddy on Tuesday demanded that the Congress government in Telangana release a comprehensive White Paper on the state's finances before the commencement of the Assembly budget session on March 16.
Despite Telangana being formed in 2014 with surplus funds, there has been no visible financial progress over the 10 years of the BRS rule and the past 27 months of Congress rule, he alleged.
"The continuous rise in per capita debt each year and heavy reliance on borrowing to meet routine commitments, including interest payments on previous loans, employee salaries, and welfare schemes, clearly reflect the financial stress faced by the state," he said in an open letter to Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy.
"In this regard, it is necessary for the government to place the facts before the people of Telangana. Therefore, I request you to release a comprehensive White Paper on the financial condition of the State before the commencement of the State Budget Session on March 16," he said in the letter.
"CM Revamth Reddy had earlier announced that the state treasury was empty. But he recently said in a public meeting that, if needed, Rs 1,000 crore could be given to the Sonia Gandhi–Rahul Gandhi family.
This gives the impression that while the treasury is nil, the pockets of Congress leaders are full," Kishan Reddy said.
Since 2014, the NDA Government at the Centre has extended continuous support to Telangana by allocating nearly Rs 12 lakh crore over the past 12 years through various schemes and capital investments for the state's development and the welfare of its people, he said.
Further, in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's commitment to strengthen state infrastructure, the Centre introduced the “Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment (SASCI)” scheme in 2020–21, providing interest-free loans with a 50-year repayment period for capital expenditure, he said.
Under this scheme, Telangana has received over Rs 10,000 crore in the last six years, supporting key infrastructure projects such as drainage systems, road widening, railway expansion, bridges and flyovers, hospitals, and others, the Union Minister said.
While Telangana, like other states, has at least utilised this scheme effectively, it is unfortunate that even major programmes announced by the state government are dependent on these interest-free loans from the Centre, he added.