Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Defends Budget Allocations for Telangana
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay stated on Thursday that the central government has allocated Rs 1.08 lakh crore to Telangana in the Union Budget through taxes and various schemes.
Addressing a press conference in Hyderabad, Sanjay dismissed claims that Telangana was treated unfairly in the budget. He accused Congress leaders of spreading false information to divert funds for their six guarantee schemes. He also said that Congress was following the same approach as the BRS party. “Are we ready to discuss what the Centre and the state have done for Telangana? We are open to a public debate on who has done injustice,” he said.
Bandi Sanjay detailed the budget allocations for Telangana. He highlighted that Rs 29,899 crore was given as tax devolution, a 10% increase from last year. Additionally, Rs 21,075 crore was allocated as grants, and Rs 5,336 crore was set aside for the development of railways—20 times more than what was given during the UPA government. The budget also includes a loan of Rs 2,500 crore for infrastructure and development.
Further, he explained that Rs 28,302 crore was allocated for the development of roads, railways, and aviation sectors, with Rs 15,640 crore specifically for national highway expansion. The power, energy, and irrigation sectors received Rs 10,285 crore. Employees were granted tax exemptions up to Rs 12.75 lakh.
For farmers, the government plans to provide credit cards worth up to Rs 5 lakh. Additionally, Rs 1.5 lakh crore has been allocated to boost employment under the MSME Credit Boost scheme. Small traders will receive custom credit cards of up to Rs 5 lakh. The government is also setting up a Rs 10,000 crore fund to support startups. One crore gig workers will get healthcare coverage under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, and five lakh women entrepreneurs will receive Rs 2 crore each in term loans to start businesses.
Sanjay also criticized Congress and BRS for allegedly harming Telangana’s share of Krishna river water. He accused KCR of working against Telangana’s interests by collaborating with Andhra Pradesh. He claimed that both parties delayed the SSCBC project and demanded that they apologize to the people of Telangana.
Lastly, he questioned the accuracy of the caste census, pointing out that there were 3.95 crore Aadhaar cards while the reported population was 3.7 crore. He warned that people would teach Congress a lesson for their false promises under the six guarantees.
