MIM leader and MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi focused primarily on the aspects of the budget related to Muslims.
MIM floor leader Akbaruddin Owaisi welcomed the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government's budget for the State.
"The first budget of the new State of Telangana for the financial year 2014-15 presented by Finance Minister Eetela Rajender today seeks to fulfill the promises made by the TRS in its election manifesto," he said while speaking to media persons.
He said that the over Rs 1 lakh-crore budget was aimed at ensuring faster development of the State as well as the continuance of welfare schemes for the weaker sections, including the minorities, backward classes, scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, disabled people and women.
"The minorities - Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains and Parsis - who constitute 14 percent of the State's population, have been allocated budgetary allocation of Rs 1,030 crores, which is almost double the amount included for Telangana in the Vote-on-Account budget for the erstwhile combined State," he said.
Akbaruddin Owaisi expressed happiness over the enormous increase in the allocations for minorities' welfare.
The allocations for this year include Rs 500 crores for scholarships, Rs 95 crores for subsidy for bankable schemes, Rs 100 crores for Shaadi Mubarak, Rs 105 crores for multi-sectoral development programmes, and Rs 53 crores for the State Wakf Board.
Higher allocations had also been made for the Urdu Academy, Haj Committee, Centre for Educational Development of Minorities, study circles, minority hostels, residential schools, shaadi khanas etc., he said.
"For the improvement of the civic infrastructure in Hyderabad, higher allocations of Rs 1,248 crores have also been made for Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC), Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR), Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Supply and Sewerage Board, and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority. For the Quli Qutub Shah Urban Development Authority, however, only a token allocation has been made. Furthermore, the Hyderabad and Cyberabad Police have been allotted additional funds of Rs 516 crores," Akbaruddin Owaisi said.
The MIM leader said that substantial budgetary allocations amounting to Rs 345 crores had also been made for the first time for the teaching hospitals and other government hospitals in Hyderabad, including Osmania and Gandhi hospitals, the maternity hospitals at Petlaburz and Sultan Bazar, Nilofer Hospital, King Kothi Hospital, Sarojini Devi Eye Hospital, and the mental health, chest and ENT Hospitals. However, for AYUSH, including Unani hospitals, similar allocations had not been made.
"Though the overall budgetary outlay has been raised to Rs 1,00,638 crores, the budget shows a revenue surplus of Rs 301 crores. The budget, thus, is very ambitious, but its realization will depend on achieving additional revenue mobilization in the remaining five months of the financial year," he said.
"The TRS Government, I am sure, will do everything in its power to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of the people of Telangana, and work towards the goal of making the State, Bangaru Telangana. I hope and trust that the State administration will rise to the occasion and ensure that every rupee sanctioned in the Budget is spent judiciously and fruitfully for the development of the State and the welfare of all sections of the people," he said. (INN)