Telangana CM holds review meeting on state's financial position, writes to Sitharaman

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao on Saturday held a review meeting here on the state's financial position.

A release from Chief Minister's Office said that the central government was making "tall claims on a daily basis both in the Parliament and outside that there is no effect of an economic slowdown in the country but the facts are quite different from this".

"The Centre announced in the budget that it will give Rs 19, 719 crore for Telangana under the taxes sharing. This is 6.2 per cent more than the allocations made in the 2018-19 budget. However, in the last six months, the Centre gave Rs 10, 304 crore only as the tax share," the release said.

"In the last financial year for the eight-month period, the Centre gave Rs 10, 528 crore. In other words, compared to 2018-19, this financial year till date the Centre gave Rs 224 crore less. This would mean that as against 6.2 per cent hike as proposed in the current financial year's budget, there is, in fact, a decline of 2.13 percent. Instead of getting Rs 700 crore more from the Centre, Telangana has been given Rs 924 crore less," it added.

The Chief Minister has also instructed all departments to reduce expenditure and given instructions that funds for all the departments be decreased in tune with reduction in funds from the Centre, the release said.

The Chief Minister wrote a letter to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday requesting her to release funds to the state as stipulated in the budget or else declare the facts.