Congress aims to cut debt burden in Telangana

In Hyderabad, Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Bhatti Vikramarka spoke about the government's plans to manage its debt. He stated that the state has to spend Rs 1.53 lakh crore on past debt services. Bhatti emphasized that the Congress government aims to stop the illegal exploitation of natural resources to increase state revenue and lower its debt. During a budget discussion in the assembly, he responded to accusations from the BRS party that the budget was unrealistic. He mentioned that if the budget were indeed unrealistic, it would have exceeded Rs 4 lakh crore. He highlighted that despite high loan burdens, the government has controlled financial leaks, generating Rs 3 crore in revenue each day. Bhatti pointed out that the state lost Rs 6,000 crore due to these leakages over the past ten years. For the upcoming fiscal year, he provided financial figures stating that while Rs 2.80 crore was received, Rs 2.99 lakh crore was spent. The majority of this spending was allocated to debt payments, with Rs 4,682 crore set aside for current expenses. He criticized the previous BRS government for not allocating Rs 70,000 crore for the welfare of Scheduled Castes (SC). In contrast, the Congress has committed Rs 40,000 crore this year. Bhatti also pointed out that the Congress government waived Rs 20,000 crore in farmer loans in just four months, compared to the BRS's Rs 50,000 crore over ten years. He accused the BRS government of being undemocratic, as they did not allow protests against the overuse of irrigation projects from Andhra Pradesh. Finally, Bhatti reiterated the Congress government's commitment to supporting women's self-help groups and integrated schools.