The new Congress-led Telangana Government has decided to focus on infusing financial discipline in the State as “there is no fiscal discipline or financial prudency” left because of the “bad governance” of the outgoing Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) Government, said Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan.
The State Government is of the view that improving financial situation on a war footing is the greatest challenge in front of it. The Government is accordingly on the job of identifying lacunae that took place in financial management, where wasteful expenditure is indulged in and where financial irregularities took place.
“My Government is focussed on strengthening the derailed financial situation. The entire financial discipline in the State is destroyed,” the Governor said in her traditional address to the joint sitting of the legislature on Friday. The Government accordingly intended to bring financial prudence without putting financial burden on the people, she said, asserting “this is our government’s aim and goal”.
The Governor recalled how the power utilities were in a deep financial crisis with staggering debt of Rs. 81,516 crore and incurred losses of Rs. 50,275 crore. The same was the case with Civil Supplies Corporation which had Rs. 56,000 crore debt and incurred losses to the tune of Rs. 11,000 crore. Every department had incurred huge debts. “Loans raised indiscriminately from every corporation have pushed the State into a financial mess and crisis,” she said.
The Government had therefore decided to place before the people the financial condition of each and every department by releasing white papers and “show them the real facts”. All institutions have been destroyed in the last nine and half years and these institutions/organisations, that ought to work democratically, had “unfortunately” been degraded to serve individuals.
It would not augur well in a democracy if institutions indulged in individual worship, and that the Government was firm on changing the trend and situation. The Governor, in her speech, elaborated on how rural development was only confined to propaganda and elected representatives of the local bodies were made nominal without any power or value.
The previous Government had not paid the bills for the works that they had completed, thereby, putting local body representatives to severe debts. “We have seen some of the local body representatives committing suicides. We will set the situation right,” she averred.
The Government had decided to take every village as a unit and plan accordingly for their development. The Government’s main aim was to strengthen the farmers, key to development of a village and its progress, economically thereby making each and every village prosperous. “My Government believes in more action and fewer words. You will see the change in the days, months and years to come,” the Governor said.
