Kishan Reddy said the Budget had dashed people's hopes of seeing the Six Guarantees fulfilled
HYDERABAD: State BJP chief and Union minister G. Kishan Reddy called the state Budget a collection of exaggerated figures and gimmicks that was far removed from reality. He said the Budget was a clear reflection of the Congress government's incompetence.
In a statement, Kishan Reddy said the Budget had dashed people's hopes of seeing the Six Guarantees fulfilled. He alleged that after 15 months in power, the Congress government had neglected the implementation of its Six Guarantees and ‘420 promises’.
Kishan Reddy alleged that the state was increasingly relying on liquor sales to boost revenue, pointing out that last year's excise revenue estimate of Rs 25,617 crore had now been increased by Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 27,623 crore. He claimed the government was using numerical gimmicks to inflate tax revenue from Rs 1,56,457 crore to Rs 1,75,320 crore, over 12 per cent, of which Rs 30,000 crore is being contributed by the Centre through tax devolution.
Out of the Budget of Rs 3.04 lakh crore, Rs 2.26 lakh crore, or 74 per cent, was allocated for salaries, subsidies and other expenses, while only Rs 36,504 crore, or 12 per cent, is earmarked for capital expenditure on infrastructure, jobs and long-term development projects. “It was regrettable that only a small portion of the Budget was dedicated to development,” Kishan Reddy lamented.
