The tall promises made by the Telugu Desam government and the budgetary allocations in the financial statement for 2014-15 have no co-relation , said Chengalrayudu (Congress) in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Council here on Friday.
Initiating the discussion on Budget, Mr. B. Chengalrayudu said that while the financial statement projected the State tax revenue receipts at Rs. 37,397 crore, share of Central taxes at Rs.16,838 crore, grants in aid at Rs.33,028 crore and others totalling to about Rs.92,000 crore receipts, Chief Minister N.Chandrababu Naidu said there was possibility of mobilising more revenue.
This only gave confusing signals. The government should project correct revenue figures or should be committed to its financial statement, he said. At least next year, government should try and give correct projections based on its own revenues without projecting Central grants as its own revenue, he advised the ruling party.
Loan waiverMr. Chengalrayudu said the government went back on its loan waiver promise by restricting it to only Rs.1.5 lakh for farmers. Even that amount was not yet released as a result farmers were not getting fresh loans.
However Ministers Kimidi Mrinalini, Ch.Ayyannapatrudu and Palle Raghunatha Reddy said the State post bifurcation was facing unforeseen financial problems with revenue and fiscal deficit but the government was committed to fulfil its promise.
Mr. Chengalrayudu said government could raise Rs. 2 lakh crores if it decided to cut down existing red sanders in the forest in addition to auction of the seized material from the smugglers.
He said there were no adequate allocations to fulfil promises on social security pensions, housing for the poor and health sector for strengthening the public sector hospitals. Welcoming the generous allocation for education sector, he said funds should be utilised for revamping government schools and colleges on the lines of IIITs and abolish the Eamcet system.
He said government should impose higher tax rates on items consumed by the rich and spare the poor. When the State was facing resource crunch, it should utilise available government land for capital construction and should not spend public money on land acquisition.
