Hyderabad: BRS MLC Dasoju Sravan intensified Telangana budget criticism on Tuesday, calling the state’s financial plan unrealistic and disconnected from ground realities.
Speaking in the Legislative Council, he questioned repeated high projections. He said the government estimated ₹2.2 lakh crore for 2024–25 but spent only ₹1.67 lakh crore.
For 2025–26, he said the government projected ₹2.29 lakh crore. However, it has spent only ₹2.03 lakh crore so far. Despite this trend, it now projects ₹2.41 lakh crore for the coming year.
Sravan said a sound budget should limit the gap between estimates and spending to 5%–10%. Therefore, he termed the latest projection unrealistic.
He also cited findings of the Comptroller and Auditor General of India. He said revenue collections remained weak against projections.
Against a target of ₹2.29 lakh crore for 2025–26, the government collected about ₹1.38 lakh crore by January 2026. This gap, he said, raised serious concerns.
Telangana budget criticism highlights revenue gaps
Expanding his Telangana budget criticism, Sravan said expecting ₹65,000 crore in the final two months was impractical. He said such assumptions exposed flaws in financial planning.
On debt, he questioned figures presented by Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy. He said the government claimed ₹3.30 lakh crore out of ₹3.47 lakh crore borrowings went towards repayments.
However, Sravan said actual direct repayments stood closer to ₹1.67 lakh crore. He alleged that officials added borrowings by corporations and special purpose vehicles to inflate repayment figures.
According to him, this approach created a misleading picture of fiscal management. Therefore, he called for clarity in debt reporting.
Telangana budget criticism raises sector concerns
Sravan also said the government reduced focus on key sectors like education and health. He disputed claims that authorities had not issued ration cards in the past decade.
He said officials had distributed 6.45 lakh ration cards earlier. In addition, he raised demands on welfare measures.
He sought 42% reservation for Backward Classes in contracts and maintenance works. He urged the government to act immediately on this demand.
Calling for accountability, Sravan said the government must present transparent data. He also said it should revise the budget to match public needs.
Moreover, he stressed that realistic projections remain essential for effective governance. He added that Telangana budget criticism reflects broader concerns about fiscal discipline.