HYDERABAD: With Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman set to present this year’s Budget on Tuesday, IT and Industries Minister KT Rama Rao on Sunday reminded the Centre of the promises made by the NDA government to the people of India targeted to be delivered by 2022.
In a tweet, Rama Rao posted reports from news archives, which had recorded Prime Minister Narendra Modi promising that every Indian would own a house by 2022. This promise was made by Modi in Lucknow on July 28 while addressing a programme to mark completion of three years of Smart City Mission, AMRUT and Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojna, at the Indira Gandhi Pratishthan.
Rama Rao also recalled the Prime Minister’s promise of doubling farmers’ incomes by 2022 and the deadline set by Modi to assure electricity, water and toilet in every house by 2022.
The IT Minister also posted news items where Modi had promised to the Indian diaspora in Oman that Bullet Trains would be a reality in India by 2022 and the Prime Minister’s prediction that India’s economy would grow to $5 Trillion by 2022. Rama Rao urged the Centre to support progressive states like Telangana, which he claimed was the fourth largest contributor to India’s economy, by way of honouring the promises made in AP Reorganisation Act, and by taking cues from the recommendations by NITI Aayog, to support schemes like Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya.
“Hope the allocations will be equitable and reflect firm resolve in translating your vision into reality,” Rama Rao tweeted, on his expectations from the Union Budget 2022. Soon enough, politically polarised netizens started responding to Rama Rao’s tweets. One of the responses that caught attention came from Mohan, an advocate, who implored the Minister to see behind his back first and read the 2018 election manifesto of TRS first, before asking others to do some things.
Another person named Vishwas, who said he wasn’t a Modi supporter, said that having worked closely with the Central government schemes, he could say that the Centre has concentrated on issues like toilet, water, sanitation, farmers’ income, roads, etc. like never before.