Friday, Jun 9, 2023

Centre’s discrimination towards Telangana continues

Though the Centre allocated Rs 187.96 crore to TS under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) during the period 2016-17 to 2020-21, only Rs 54.29 crore was released

By Telangana Today

Updated On - 10:35 PM, Tue - 9 March 21

Centre’s discrimination towards Telangana continues

Hyderabad: The discrimination of the Union government towards south Indian States especially Telangana has come to the fore again by the Centre’s own admission in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Though the Centre allocated Rs 187.96 crore to Telangana under the National Food Security Mission (NFSM) during the period 2016-17 to 2020-21, only Rs 54.29 crore was released to the State.

The then UPA government had launched the NFSM in 2007-08 across the country to enhance production and productivity of food crops. Under NFSM, support is extended for promotion of food crops including rice, pulses, nutri cereals, coarse cereals, and sugarcane. Further, assistance is provided and training programmes are held to farmers for intervention.

Till February 28 this year, the Union government made budgetary allocations amounting to a total Rs 9,860.41 crore for the Mission from 2016-17 to 2020-21, to all the States. However, it released only Rs 5704.22 crore which is around 57.84 per cent of the total budgetory allocation. Over the last five years, the Centre allocated Rs 187.96 crore to Telangana State and released only Rs 54.29 crore that works out to just 28 per cent of the allocations.

The highest budgetary allocation amounting to a total Rs 1,682.97 crore was made to Madhya Pradesh, which received Rs 595.4 crore over the last five financial years. Among the south Indian States, the Centre made highest allocations to Karnataka – Rs 716.28 crore – and released Rs 522.034 crore.

84% works under PMGSY done in TS

Laying emphasis on improving rural connectivity, Telangana government has completed road works covering 10,899 km of the sanctioned 12,961 km under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). This works out to completion of 84 per cent of the targeted works.

This is against the overall road length of 7.50 lakh km sanctioned for rest of India and 6.51 lakh km road length works getting completed. These details were shared by Union Minister for Rural Development Narendra Singh Tomar in reply to an unstarred question by MP G Ranijth Reddy in Rajya Sabha, on Tuesday.

Road connectivity in rural Telangana is getting a makeover with the State government bearing 40 per cent cost of the road works under PMGSY and the rest is borne by Central government.

Accordingly, all the 595 habitations in the 250 plus and 500 plus population sanctioned for coverage under PMGSY have been provided all-weather road connectivity. Under the 100-249 population category, against the 109 habitations sanctioned for coverage, 107 habitations have already been provided with all-weather road connectivity.

The mandate of PMGSY has been subsequently was widened to include new interventions, including PMGSY-II, III and Road Connectivity Project for Left Wing Extremism Affected Areas (RCPLWEA) for construction or upgradation of strategically important roads.

In 2019, under PMGSY III, focus was laid on consolidation of routes and major rural links connecting habitations, to Gramin Agricultural Markets, higher secondary schools and hosptials.
Under this initiative, the Central government approved coverage of 1.25 lakh km for rest of India with an estimated cost of Rs 80,250 crore. For Telangana, it had allocated a target length of 2,427 km, of which, 1,120 km has been sanctioned during the year 2020-21.