Telangana Budget to reflect unique initiatives

Task force committees submit proposals for inclusion in budget

Preparations for Budget 2014-15 are in full swing in Telangana after two days of meetings with the task force committees and department heads.

Each task force committee dealt with related departments and gave their findings and proposals for inclusion in the budget, which will basically become the policy statement of the Telangana government on various sectors for the next four years.

One of the recommendations of the task force committees is setting up an Evaluation Authority of State of Telangana (EAST) on the lines of Karnataka for an independent evaluation of any important project.

It may be recalled that after Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao wanted the budget to be reoriented to specific needs and requirements of the State, various task force committees were constituted to give interim reports followed by draft policy statements. “We reopened the budget, took revised proposals from all the departments. Now numbers have to be crunched and budget proposals finalised in the next one week,” sources said.

It is expected that the budget session with minimum 18 days will commence in the first week of November.

Sources said that proposals worth Rs. 5,000 crore were made based on task force committee reports.

Apart from the proposals received as part of ‘Mana Vooru- Mana Pranalika’ exercise held in every panchayat, mandal and district, the committees made proposals for water grid, revival of minor irrigation tanks, improved green house cultivation specific to the State.