BRS Jacked up Agri Allocations; Failed to Spend: Kisan Sabha

Hyderabad: Despite Budgetary allocations, the BRS government’s expenditure on agriculture fell short by up to 25 per cent every year since 2014. Observers say bloated budgetary allocations were the norm for many sectors like SC and ST communities, women and agriculture, which were not spent fully.

Sarampally Malla Reddy, vice-president, All India Kisan Sabha, said, “There should be sanctity for the claims made by the state government on either income or expenditure. Non-tax revenue cannot be increased but even those figures were jacked up. Sometimes they were shown higher than the tax revenue, which is unrealistic.”Observers noted that this was done to show higher expenditure on various counts to score brownie points for political gains.

To cover up for their shortcomings, the BRS leaders rubbished reports by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) and did not take them with the seriousness that was needed, Reddy said. “CAG reports presented in the Assembly should be suitably addressed and wrongdoings, if any, have to be punished.”

After direct income support schemes like Rythu Bandhu came into the picture, most of the allocations were earmarked for them. Support for agriculture development went missing, said G.V. Ramanjaneyulu, executive director, Centre for Sustainable Agriculture.

“Owing to lack of proper allocations, states are not able to use central funds available for agriculture support,” he said and listed farm mechanisation, drip irrigation, organic farming, Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY) and Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana (PMKVY) among them.

The RKVY is an umbrella scheme for holistic development of agriculture and allied sectors where states get to choose development activities Capacity building is done under PMKVY by bridging gaps and upgrading skills of farmers, wage-workers, self-employed and extension workers of agriculture and allied sectors.

Telangana did not have a crop insurance scheme and did not reimburse farmers as per norms during natural calamities, Ramanjaneyulu added.

YEAR                                                                                                        BUDGET                                                                                                        SPENDING