Budget 2014: Telangana, Andhra Pradesh look to Arun Jaitley for funds

Hyderabad: Both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh have high expectations from Union finance minister Arun Jaitley’s Budget on Thursday. The AP government, which does not have a capital city, has reminded the Centre about the promises made while passing the AP Reorganisation Act.

Meanwhile Telangana finance minister Etela Rajender, who met Mr Jaitley recently in New Delhi, had also submitted a list of demands seeking finances other than the routine allotment to states.

“We want the Centre to declare the Pranahita-Chevella irrigation scheme as a national project on the lines of the Polavaram Dam. The cost of constructing the Pranahita-Chevella lift irrigation scheme is many times more than Polavaram. With meagre resources we cannot go ahead with it and hence we have demanded that it should be declared as a national project if the Centre wishes to treat the states equally,” Mr Rajender said.

He also wished that the Central government would grant special status to Telangana like Andhra Pradesh. “We are a new state facing financial problems due to negligence all these years, so let the Centre grant special status to us too as we have committed to build a golden Telangana which involves massive investments in the region,” Mr Rajender added.

The Telangana government is also seeking additional funds for taking up specific projects, he said. Over and above these demands, Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao has submitted a list seeking establishment of a steel plant at Bayyaram in Khammam, horticulture and tribal universities, IIM and AIIMS, grant -in-aid to a tune of Rs 30,000 crore, and funds to clean the Musi River on the lines of Operation Ganga.

According to Telugu Desam Parliamentary Party leader Y.S. Chowdary, AP should be given top priority in the Central Budget in terms of granting funds for taking up several schemes. Mr Chowdary said besides establishment of IIM and AIIMS in AP, the state has also submitted a detailed wish list regarding granting special status, funds for the capital and Polavaram Dam, adjustment of Rs 16,000 crore towards the first financial year budget deficit etc.

“We are expecting a lot for AP in the Budget, we have already been given assurances by the Centre in this regard. We are not only a partner of the NDA government, the state also has suffered a lot because of the bifurcation and needs to be considered specially,” Mr Chowdary added.