Jana Sena Party (JSP) political affairs committee chairman Nadendla Manohar has demanded that the government publish a White Paper on its financial position, with a specific mention of its revenue, public debt and capital expenditure incurred in the last three years.
The government claimed that its GST and other tax revenues were higher than the national average in spite of the fact that Andhra Pradesh lagged behind many States in development, he said.
In a press release on Saturday, Mr. Manohar said the GST collections in the first half of FY 2022-23 were ₹6,000 crore more than what was mopped up during the corresponding period the previous year. But the government failed in providing even basic infrastructure, he said.
On the other hand, new investments were not coming and the existing industries were going out due to the hostile business environment, he added.
The government was trying to make people believe that it was doing well financially even as its struggle to meet basic needs continued, Mr. Manohar observed.
He said the State’s revenue in the first five months of FY 2022-23 as per CAG report was ₹1,03,975 crore, of which its own income was only ₹36,902 crore.
The borrowings apparently breached the limits as the government was not making the most of its resources. The overall situation warranted the release of a White Paper, and if the government kept fudging the figures, it would face the consequences, he added.
