HYDERABAD: Though the Telangana government proposed various projects and development works, the Centre did not allocate funds for the state in the Union Budget 2024–25, presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in Lok Sabha on Tuesday.
The Budget also left the state government disappointed by failing to keep the promises made in the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act, 2014 (APRA), including establishing a coach factory at Kazipet, steel plant at Bayyaram, IIM and others. The state government expected funds for the Musi river rejuvenation project too.
In the pre-Budget meeting, Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka had requested the Union government to grant national project status to Palamuru Rangareddy Lift Irrigation Scheme. Even Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sought funds for various projects, but the Centre did not consider his pleas.
In her speech, Nirmala Sitharaman mentioned the promises in the APRA only concerning Andhra Pradesh, but not Telangana.
While she said that the Union government will provide funds to backward districts in Andhra Pradesh, she left out Telangana.
The Centre has not even provided Rs 2,250 crore pending funds for the backward districts. Until 2023–24, it allocated funds for the establishment of tribal universities in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana under the head of “Andhra Pradesh & Telangana Tribal Universities”. This year, it removed that head. This Budget document stated “From F.Y. 2024-25 this has been merged into Budget line at grants to Central Universities”.
Apart from allocating central sector funds for the Government of India institutions located in Telangana, the Union government did not allocate funds for the projects taken up by the state government.