Telangana Govt to explore ways to increase State revenue

Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka directed officials to focus on increasing revenue collections without giving scope for any leakages.

Hyderabad: With the conclusion of Lok Sabha elections, the State government is now gearing up to explore ways to increase the State revenue. Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka directed officials to focus on increasing revenue collections without giving scope for any leakages and also examine new areas which can generate additional revenue.

In a meeting held at the State Secretariat on Friday, Bhatti Vikramarka along with Ministers Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, Jupally Krishna Rao, and Ponnam Prabhakar, reviewed the economic progress during the last two financial years and also State revenue collections in the first two months of the current fiscal. He emphasised the need to enhance the performance of key departments including finance, revenue, excise, transport, and health.

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The Deputy Chief Minister instructed the officials to prepare a mechanism to improve departmental performance in line with budget estimates and to take precautions to prevent any revenue leakages. He stressed the importance of strengthening the enforcement department to meet budget expectations. He also suggested on measures to be taken to boost revenue collections in the Commercial Taxes department.

Bhatti Vikramarka advised the TGSRTC (Telangana State Road Transport Corporation) to review the interest rates of loans currently being paid to various banks and institutions against loans obtained by it. He recommended shifting these loans to institutions offering lower interest rates to save money and increase income. He cited a recent successful experiment in Singareni Collieries Company Limited, where similar measures resulted in significant savings.

The Deputy Chief Minister directed the officials to expedite clearance of the Land Regularisation Scheme (LRS) applications, which have been kept pending since notification was issued for the Assembly elections and generate additional revenue. He asserted that the LRS should only be implemented for fully eligible properties to prevent the misuse of government lands.

In addition, Bhatti Vikramarka inquired about the Telangana State Housing Board’s Rajiv Swagruha schemes, focusing on unsold houses and plots. He underscored the importance of ensuring that the Aarogyasri health scheme meets the needs of the common people and advised that dues be paid monthly. He asked officials to negotiate with private hospitals to provide treatments at government hospital rates as part of their social responsibility.

Special Chief Secretary for Finance K Ramakrishna Rao, Commercial Tax Commissioner TK Sridevi, Transport Commissioner Jyoti Buddha Prakash, Joint Secretary for Finance K Haritha, and Special Secretary to Deputy Chief Minister D Krishna Bhaskar, and other officials also attended the meeting.