Hyderabad: The Centre on Monday said high petrol prices in Telangana were due to the higher value-added tax imposed by the state government. It clarified the issue in Parliament during the ongoing session.
Replying to a question raised by BRS MP B Parthasarathi Reddy in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister Suresh Gopi gave the clarification. He said the Telangana government collected higher VAT compared to several other states.
The minister stated that Telangana charged ₹26.92 per litre on petrol as VAT. He added that the state levied ₹19.80 per litre on diesel.
The Centre also shared data on micro, small and medium enterprises in Telangana. It said that between July 1, 2020 and November 30 this year, the state registered 35,39,421 MSMEs. However, during the same period, 4,341 MSMEs shut down.
Centre flags VAT burden, shares data on Telangana schemes
Replying to a separate question by BRS MP Vaddiraju Ravichandra, Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje spoke about water quality monitoring. She said the Central Pollution Control Board monitored water bodies at 273 locations in Telangana.
She added that the National Water Quality Monitoring Programme covered 4,922 locations across the country.
In another reply in the Lok Sabha, Union Minister Kirti Vardhan Singh spoke on education funding. He said the Centre released ₹7,110.87 crore to Telangana over the past five years. The amount included both central and state shares. He was responding to a question raised by MP Raghuveer Reddy.
Meanwhile, the Union Ministry of Jal Shakti addressed Telangana’s objections to the Godavari (Polavaram)–Banakacherla link project. The ministry said it had taken note of the concerns raised by the state.
Replying to a question by Congress MP Anil Kumar Yadav, Union Minister Raj Bhushan Choudhary said the project was following the prescribed process. He added that it was under technical and financial appraisal.