State financial income not up to expected level, admits Revanth

Says this financial year's budget will be closed on March 31 with a shortfall of Rs 70,000 crore against total budget estimate of Rs 2.91 lakh crore

WARANGAL: As Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka gears up to present the annual budget in a couple of days, Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Sunday admitted that the State income had declined considerably.

Last year, Bhatti Vikramarka presented a budget with an outlay of Rs 2.91 lakh crore. However, in contrast to expectations, the State income was not up to the expected level, the Chief Minister said while speaking at a Praja Palana — Pragathi Bata programme here on Sunday.

“The current financial year’s budget will be closed on March 31 with a shortfall of Rs 70,000 crore against the total budget estimate of Rs 2.91 lakh crore,” Revanth Reddy said, at the same time, claiming that if there was Rs 1.53 lakh crore available with the State government, the Indiramma Indlu houses would have been given to 30 lakh persons while crop loans up to Rs 2 lakh would be waived off for 75 lakh farmers.

Meanwhile, even as the Chief Minister was claiming that his government provided 57,000 government jobs and conducted Group I, II, and III examinations, unemployed youth in the gathering displayed flexis and placards with their demands.

Noticing them, the Chief Minister said: “I have seen them. Now put them down.” The Chief Minister also claimed that permissions for the Outer Ring Road, Railway Coach Factory, underground drainage for Warangal, and clearance for the Warangal airport were given only after the Congress government came to power.