Budget 2014: Finance Minister promises Central support for development

Hyderabad: After the Railway Budget disappointment, the TRS government received a much bigger shock in the Union Budget.

Union finance minister Arun Jaitley, however, promised Central support for development of the new state of Telangana as envisaged in the AP Reorganisation Bill.

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao and his party MPs had presented a long wishlist to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other Union ministers for the development of Telangana after the formation of the new state. This included special category status to Telangana, Pranahita-Chevella to be declared a national project, tax incentives for industrialisation, a 4,000 MW power plant in Telangana, separate High Court for Telangana, funds for development of Hyderabad urban agglomeration, funds for Musi river conservation, Horticultural University, a tribal university, funds for development of roads, new highways in Telangana, SAIL steel plant in Bayyaram, Khammam district, new railway projects, release of CAMPA funds, railway coach factory at Kazipet, new Kazipet Railway division and others.

The promised fiscal measures, including tax incentives, to the successor states to promote industrialisation and economic growth is also missing.

While some promises made to the AP government in the AP Reorganisation Act has been fulfilled, Telangana did not get even the promised Tribal University, new rapid rail, road connectivity to major cities etc.