Hyderabad: The much-talked about KG-to-PG scheme drew a blank in this year’s Budget. Also, the overall allocation to education sector was lesser by Rs 478 crore, compared to last year.
While the allocation for 2015-16 was Rs 11, 216 crore, it was reduced to Rs 10,738 crore this year. The education sector’s share in the entire Budget was 8.23 percent as against 9.69 last year.
If considered category-wise, school education got Rs 8,574 crore, higher education Rs 1,720 crore and technical education Rs 443 crore.
The lone bright spot was allocation of Rs 300 crore for setting up 70 minority residential schools in the state.
Expectedly, opposition parties and academicians tore into the TRS over reduced priority to the key education sector.
Disappointing, says Opposition
Accusing it of pushing a surplus state into a “state under debt”, the Opposition on Monday slammed the TRS government’s 2016-2017 Rs 1.30 lakh-crore Budget.
TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy alleged that the Budget presented on Monday was “not implementable” and the state depended on loans.
“It’s a highly disappointing Budget for almost all sections of the society. The government is trying to mortgage the people to fulfil its poll promises. The people have given this government a mandate for five years and it is throwing TS into a debt trap for next 20 years,” he said.
Mr Reddy said that even the flagship schemes of the state government were debt-based and no proper funds were allocated for those in the Planned Budget.
Taking a dig at the 2BHK housing scheme, he said, “As per the government’s estimates, to build one lakh 2BHK houses in Hyderabad would cost nearly '7,500 crore and in rural areas, it would cost '5,000 crore, but the government did not allot a single rupee in the planned estimate.”
Congress MP Gutta Sukhender Reddy too alleged that the CM was pushing a financially surplus state into a “debt state.”
“We are not against Mission Bhagiratha, Mission Kakatiya or the schemes. But how will you repay thousands of crores? We are turning into another Brazil,” he said.
TD MLA R. Krishnaiah called it anti-BC Budget and an insult to BCs for poor allocation to them. “There is nothing new in this Budget. The government should allot more funds to BCs or face agitation,” he said. BJP MLC Ramchander Rao called it a “jugglery of figures” and highly disappointing.
