BRS flags fiscal fraud, seeks White Paper on inflated revenue targets

BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan has accused the Congress government in Telangana of deceptive budgeting that has pushed the state into a debt trap. Citing the latest CAG report, he demanded a White Paper in the Assembly to explain inflated revenue targets, breaches of borrowing limits, and off-budget liabilities.

Hyderabad: BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan accused the Congress government of indulging in deceptive budgeting and pushing Telangana into a debt trap, citing the latest reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

He demanded that the government table a White Paper in the Assembly explaining why revenue targets were inflated, clarify the breach of borrowing limits and place approvals in the public domain.

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He also wanted the State government to disclose funding plans and debt impact of its Six Guarantees, Musi Revival and Future City, publish a quarterly revenue correction roadmap, and release details of guarantees and off-budget liabilities flagged by the CAG.

In a statement, Sravan said that against a Budget Estimate of Rs 2,29,720.63 crore, the State realised only Rs 1,38,371.11 crore of revenue receipts till January 2026. This is 60.23 per cent of the target, which left a nearly 40 per cent shortfall with two months remaining in the fiscal year. He termed this a revenue mirage that masked weakening finances.

Pointing to sectoral underperformance, the BRS MLC said Stamps and Registration collections stood at Rs 12,345.81 crore against a target of Rs 19,087.26 crore (64.68 per cent), indicating a slowdown in real estate. Excise revenues were Rs 19,083.64 crore against Rs 27,623.36 crore (69 per cent), with year-on-year performance deteriorating.

He also pointed to low Central inflows, stating that only Rs 4,213.29 crore (18.49 per cent) was realised under Grants-in-Aid against a target of Rs 22,782.50 crore. Non-Tax Revenue stood at Rs 7,864.18 crore, just 24.8 per cent of the Rs 31,618.77 crore estimate.

Raising concern over borrowings, Sravan said net borrowings had touched Rs 69,148.28 crore by January, which is 128 per cent of the sanctioned annual limit of Rs 54,009 crore. He added that the revenue deficit had widened to Rs 10,566 crore from Rs 2,738 crore in the corresponding period last year.