VIJAYAWADA: On a day when the Opposition parties levelled serious charges against the four-year rule of the TDP government, Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu has asserted that the government is working with the objective of ensuring satisfaction of all people and spent about Rs 5.2 lakh crore for their welfare in the last four years.Claiming that budgetary allocations were utilised to the optimal level in the past four years, he said no other government, including the previous TDP regime, had spent all the budgetary allocations.Despite non-cooperation from the Centre, which released only Rs 12,879 crore during the last four years, he said the government was successfully implementing 103 welfare schemes.
“We have already started issuing pensions to nearly 50 lakh beneficiaries of NTR Bharosa Scheme and are going to extend the facility to 3.5 lakh more. Similarly, we are constructing 19 lakh houses and issue ration cards to all those who ask for them. We shall spend Rs 1,000 crore on unemployment dole. Is it not development? What else will mean development for Opposition parties?” he questioned.
Speaking to mediapersons at the Interim Government Complex in Velagapudi on Friday, Yanamala said Andhra Pradesh is the only State that had achieved double-digit growth rate for four consecutive years.
Taking a dig at the Opposition parties’ criticism against the government that no development had taken place in the State, he said those parties were not in a position to admit facts. “It is ridiculous on the part of the Opposition parties not to utter a single word against the Centre which betrayed the people of the State, he said.
Yanamala said the State government was going for debts to a tune of about Rs 18,000 crore per anum after bifurcation. Refuting the allegations of the Opposition parties over debts, he said when debts accumulated since 1956 were shared between the residuary AP and Telangana on the basis of population at the the time of bifurcation, the State got a share of Rs 1.17 lakh crore.
Rs 1,710 crore for clearing PRC arrears
Maintaining that the government was giving priority to the welfare of employees, he said despite facing cash crunch, the government had conceded most of the demands of the govt staff. Stating that the government had to pay Rs 3,919 crore towards clearing the arrears of Pay Revision Commission (PRC), he said payments to a tune of Rs 1,710 crore would be released for the purpose soon. While Rs 715 crore would be released for clearing the arrears of all pensioners, Rs 734 crore would be paid to employees working under the Contributory Pension Scheme. He said Rs 260 crore would be deposited in their accounts of employees and the remaining amount would be credited to their GPF accounts.