Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Wednesday said the state is supposed to get over Rs 34,000 crore from the Union government by way of grants and schemes while alleging that they were denied by the NDA government at the Centre. Though the NITI Aayog recommended grants for 'Mission Bhagiratha' (supplying tapped drinking water to all households), 'Mission Kakatiya' (revival of old water bodies) schemes amounting Rs 19,205 crore and Rs 5,000 crore respectively, but were denied by the Union government, he alleged.
The sector specific grants worth Rs 3,024 crore recommended by the 15th Finance Commission were not accepted by the Union government. Similarly, the state specific grants of Rs 2,350 crore recommended by the Finance Commission for the maintenance of Mission Bhagiratha were also not accepted by the Union government, he further charged.
He said a total of Rs 1,013.9 crore grants recommended by the Finance Commission (dues for 2021-22) for rural and urban local bodies were also not released.
Special grant of Rs 723 crore for 2020-21 as tax devolution for the state was projected to decline in absolute terms in 2020-21 as compared with 2019-20. This recommendation was not accepted, the Minister further said.
Similarly, grants of 171 crore for 2020-21 were not accepted by the Union government, he said.
The Union government’s share of CSS amounting to Rs 495.20 crore in the first year of the formation of the state was released to Andhra Pradesh by oversight, Harish Rao said, adding that this amount is yet to be restored.
The total grants due/denied by the Union government to Telangana state amounted to Rs 34,149.71 crore, he added.