Opposition Leader in Council and TDP senior leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu on Sunday said YCP’s retrogressive policies caused a steep fall in State revenue thereby leading to nil development and consequential loss of work and employment opportunities for different sections of people. The Jagan Reddy Government cut the crucial capital expenditure by 50 per cent while the previous TDP regime increased the same by 53 per cent to provide greater opportunities for people.
The TDP former minister said that YCP miserably failed to increase income and revenue expenditure because of its misplaced priorities. YCP one year rule could increase budgetary expenditure from Rs. 1.63 lakh crore to Rs. 1.66 lakh crore by just 1.8 per cent while it went up from Rs. 1.46 lakh cr to Rs. 1.63 lakh cr by 11.6 per cent under TDP. So, YCP budget expenditure went up by just Rs. 3,000 cr in one year as against Rs. 17,000 cr under TDP.
Mr. Ramakrishnudu deplored that YCP Government hiked borrowings by 135 per cent while this was just 30.70 per cent under TDP. Excluding borrowings, revenue receipts came down to Rs. 86,000 cr under YCP while it went up from Rs. 1.20 lakh cr to Rs. 1.26 lakh cr. Due to reduced capital expenditure, overall development took a backseat. What little revenue was misused without focusing on wealth creation. Priority was given to non-productive sectors instead of productive activities.
Listing out anti-development initiatives, Mr. Ramakrishnudu said that thousands of crores were wastefully spent on colours for government buildings and Rs. 4,000 cr was being looted every year to pay YCP activists who were given volunteers and Grama Secretariat jobs. If these funds were spent on Polavaram, another 10 per cent works would have been completed on the lifeline irrigation project. While Rs. 16,128 Cr was allocated for irrigation, just Rs. 3,566 cr was spent. Even the Rs. 1,850 cr Central funds released for Polavaram were diverted to other non-productive programmes.
The TDP leader slammed Jagan Reddy government for increasing revenue deficit from Rs. 41,000 cr to Rs. 70,000 cr. The decrease in revenue was attributed to Coronavirus lockdown though its impact was there only on the last nine days of financial year. In just one year, YCP brought loans over three and half times over and above what TDP regime has taken. With his inefficiency and incompetence, CM Jagan has pushed AP into bankruptcy and even resorted to selling public lands. Even the High Court has asked whether Andhra Pradesh has become bankrupt.
Mr. Ramakrishnudu deplored farmers have lost nearly Rs. 15,000 cr due to lack of minimum support prices during YCP one year rule. Also, farmers lost another Rs. 20,000 cr because of ruling party betrayals on the pretext of Rythu Bharosa. If TDP came to power, each farmer would have got Rs. 1.10 lakh. With YCP coming to power, each farmer lost Rs. 75,000 thereby causing a total Rs. 35,000 cr loss to farmers community in general.
