National News
Telangana financially on a firm footing
Despite the dent in revenues during the last two years due to Covid pandemic and lack of help from the Centre, Telangana financially appears to be on a firm footing.
With a higher growth rate and per capita income than many bigger states, India’s youngest state has become the fourth largest contributor to national GDP in a short span of less than eight years and claims to be a model for the entire country in welfare and development.
According to 2020-21 budget estimates, Telangana’s estimated outstanding public debt will be over Rs 2.86 lakh crore. However, the economists say the state has the capacity to manage debts.
According to a study paper released by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) last month, Telangana’s debt-to-GSDP ratio is the lowest in the country, indicating the fiscal health of the state.
Based on the annual data between 2014-15 and 2018-19, the study paper revealed that the State Performance Composite Index (SPCI) of Telangana has improved. SPCI measures both the fiscal performance and market development of states.
The average debt to Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of Telangana from 2014-15 to 2018-19 was 16.1 per cent, which is the lowest among the states in the country.
According to state finance minister T. Harish Rao, Telangana is among the states having the lowest debt burden in the country, dismissing the claim by the opposition parties that the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government has pushed the state into a debt trap.
Harish Rao had told the state Assembly last year that Telangana’s debt burden is only 22.8 per cent of GSDP, which is well within the permissible limits under the FRBM Act. Telangana was then at the third place from the bottom in the country.
“The Centre’s debt burden is 62.2 per cent of GDP while Telangana’s debt burden is just 22.8 per cent of GSDP,” he had stated.
The RBI also revealed recently that Telangana is the fourth largest contributor to the country’s economy. According to “Handbook of Statistics on the Indian Economy 2020-21” the Net State Value Added (NSVA) by Telangana at current prices to the country increased from Rs 4,16,930 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 8,10,503 crore in 2020-21.
Leaders of ruling TRS say this contribution is significant considering the fact that Telangana is the 11th largest state in terms of geographical area and 12th in terms of population.
According to Telangana State Statistical Abstract Report released this week, provisional estimates show the GSDP of Telangana at current prices in 2020-21 was Rs 9,80,407 crore. Between 2012-13 and 2020-21, the average annual GSDP growth of Telangana was 6.8 per cent and GDP of India was 5.1 per cent.
For 2021-22, the state presented a Rs 2.31 lakh crore budget despite the pandemic drastically impacting the state’s economy. For 2020-21 the budget size was Rs 1.82 lakh crore.
The budget for FY22 comprised revenue expenditure of Rs 1.69-lakh crore and capital expenditure of Rs 29,046 crore. The fiscal deficit went up to Rs 45,509 crore from Rs 33,191 crore in the previous financial year.
Telangana’s growth rate has been consistently higher. In 2018-19 it was 9.8 per cent against GDP growth rate of 6.5 per cent. The growth rate was 6 per cent in 2019-20 against GDP growth rate of 4 per cent. In 2020-21, it was -0.6 per cent against All India -7.3 per cent.
In another key performance indicator, the per capita income of Telangana increased from Rs 91,121 in 2011-12 to Rs 2,37,632 in 2020-21. This is against all India averages ranging from Rs 63,462 in 2011-12 to Rs 1,28,829 in 2020-21.
In another boost for Telangana, the latest data by the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy revealed that the state has lowest unemployment at 0.7 per cent.
Economist Papa Rao believes that Telangana has no financial worries as it is performing well despite not receiving the support from the Centre. “Some debts were unduly raised but the state has the capacity to manage them. It can generate its own resources,” he said while pointing out that the state’s tax revenues have gone up during the current year. He, however, said the state should be cautious in raising new loans.
According to him, Telangana in a short span of time has emerged as a progressive state with Hyderabad as the growth engine attracting massive investments. The state created assets in the form of irrigation projects and Mission Bhagiratha which envisages drinking water supply to every house.
He, however, believes that Dalit Bandhu scheme launched by TRS government recently is not viable. Under the scheme claimed to be the only one of its kind in the country, the government plans to provide Rs 10 lakh grant to every Dalit family.
“There are 50 lakh Dalit families. Mobilizing such huge funds is very difficult. This may take many years and may not yield desired results,” Papa Rao said.
Pointing out that an overwhelming majority of Dalits are agriculture labourers, the economist said distribution of land rather than cash would have been more practical.
The state claims to be number one in welfare in the country with a welfare budget of over Rs 40,000 crore. It is implementing a plethora of welfare schemes from social security pensions to various categories to financial help for marriages of poor girls to Rythu Bandhu under which every farmer gets Rs 10,000 as annual investment support for every acre.
However, opposition Congress party leader Dasoju Srravan says that welfare programs should ultimately empower people. “Farmers’ suicides have not stopped despite Rythu Bandhu. During the last 4-5 years 8,000 farmers have ended their lives. Farmers do not want Bandhus, they want MSP for the hard work they put in and market support for agricultural produce,” he said.
The national spokesperson of the Congress party believes that the TRS government is focusing more on voter alluring programs but not voter empowerment programs. “As a result the state has landed into a serious debt trap and today we are a financially bankrupt state. We don’t have money for salaries and we don’t have money for repayment to contractors.”
He blamed lopsided priorities of the government, mismanagement, callous understanding of development for this situation. “On top of it is mysterious corruption in projects. TRS leadership has become extremely rich overnight,” he said.
The Congress leader alleged that the state government is making people addicted to liquor by opening more and more wine and bar shops across the state. “It is giving pensions and some money under Rythu Bandhu but draining their resources through sales tax on liquor. See how liquor revenue has increased in these 7-8 years,” he said.
The revenue from liquor sales, which was Rs 10,833 crore, has gone up to Rs 27,888 crore in 2020-21.
He alleged that the TRS government completely ignored sectors like education, health and employment generation
“The chief minister proudly says a private villa in Hyderabad costs Rs 25 crore and still people are coming and buying. Is that a development indicator? It is a third-rate governance indicator. In management we call it critical incident analysis while analyzing performance. The CM made critical comments reflecting his innate mindset and how he sees development,” Srravan said.
National News
Regime change certain in 2027: Akhilesh lashes out at BJP, Election Commission

Lucknow, Oct 11: The Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday asserted that a change of power was certain in 2027 Assembly elections and criticized the Election Commission (EC) over alleged police action on the protesters in the national capital.
Speaking to the press, after paying respects to Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) in Lucknow on latter’s birth anniversary, the SP supremo said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) will be shown the door by people in 2027 Uttar Pradesh polls and the ‘partisan’ Election Commission won’t be able to save its ‘sinking’ fortunes.
Swearing by the Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan (JP)’s ‘Total Revolution’ (Sampoorna Kranti) slogans, Akhilesh Yadav said that the movement remains relevant even today for challenging the regime and his party will bring out the ‘desired’ result by walking down that path.
“The process of change has begun. The anguish among the public will accelerate the process of change,” he added, after garlanding the statue of Loknayak Jayaprakash Narayan at the memorial.
The SP supremo also took a swipe over Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the Ayodhya seat, days after he challenged the latter to contest the elections from the holy city.
Responding to the Chief Minister’s questions regarding Ayodhya, Akhilesh Yadav said that “arrogant individuals” would not be able to withstand the strength of his ‘PDA’ (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak—Backward, Dalit, and Minority) alliance.
The SP Chief said that the public is now familiar with the BJP’s politics and the party will have to give befitting reply to its actions.
He claimed that a change would occur in 2027 and that the process has already begun.
He said that the BJP is rattled by political strength of the PDA and questioned the role of Election Commission.
He said that EC’s duty is to encourage maximum voter participation and ensure a smooth voting process.
Raising the issue of the alleged assault on residents of Uttar Pradesh in Delhi, Akhilesh Yadav questioned the Election Commission’s accountability and demanded its resignation.
Crime
Newlywed poisons husband, 3 family members in Maharashtra Jalgaon

Jalgaon, Oct 11: A shocking incident has come to light in Maharashtra Jalgaon district, where a newlywed woman attempted to kill her husband and three members of his family by mixing rat poison into their food just two days after their wedding, officials said on Sunday.
Police have arrested two women, including the bride, who were allegedly attempting to flee after the incident. The case came to light after the affected family members fell ill, prompting police to launch an investigation into the suspected poisoning and the circumstances surrounding the women’s disappearance.
The incident took place in Velhane village in Parola taluka of Jalgaon district. According to officials, the couple got married on October 7, and the alleged poisoning occurred on October 9, the third day of their wedding celebrations.
Police said the bride allegedly mixed rat poison into the food prepared for her husband and his family members. After the food was consumed, she reportedly left the house with another woman, taking some jewellery and the money received during the wedding with her.
The incident came to light when members of the family began experiencing health problems after consuming the food. The elders of the house were subsequently admitted to a government hospital in Dhule for treatment, officials said.
After receiving information about the suspected poisoning, police reached the spot and initiated an investigation into the incident.
The incident triggered anger among the family members and local residents, who gathered outside the police station and blocked the road. They demanded that the two women be arrested and that appropriate charges be filed against them.
The police intensified their efforts to locate the accused. The two women, who were allegedly trying to escape, were eventually detained near Nimgul village in Dhule district, officials said.
After their arrest, preliminary details emerged about the accused women’s backgrounds. Police found that the bride, identified as Suman Subhash Sahni, was a resident of Jharkhand. The other woman, identified as Aarti Suryaksh Patel, was also reportedly from Jharkhand.
It was also reported that the man had married Suman after paying Rs 2.5 lakh.
Police are investigating the allegations and gathering further details to establish the exact circumstances of the incident.
Crime
Gujarat Police nab three more accused in Punjab’s Mad Sandhu murder case

Ahmedabad/Valsad, Oct 11: The Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Valsad Special Operations Group (SOG) have arrested three men wanted in connection with the murder of social media influencer and makeup artist Madhu Sudan Singh alias Mad Sandhu, who was shot dead in Punjab Amritsar earlier this month.
The three accused, identified as Harsimranjit Singh alias Simu Singga, Fateh Singh and Arman Singh, were detained in Vapi in Valsad district following a joint operation by the state police units.
According to the Gujarat ATS, Mad Sandhu was shot dead by two unidentified persons near a car washing centre on Lorahka Road in Amritsar on October 3.
“A case was subsequently registered at Cantonment Police Station in Amritsar City,” officials said.
The ATS received information about the suspects from senior officials of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) in Punjab, who shared details of the case with their counterparts in Gujarat.
Following instructions from senior officers, an investigation was initiated under the supervision of Superintendent of Police (SP) K. Siddharth, with Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) Harsh Upadhyay and Police Inspector Krupesh Patel leading the investigation.
The inquiry revealed that the three men allegedly involved in the murder were in Vapi.
Harsimranjit Singh, Fateh Singh, and Arman Singh, are all originally from Sange village under Sadar Police Station in Tarn Taran district of Punjab.
Given the possibility that the suspects could leave the area, the ATS shared their profiles, location details and other relevant information with the Valsad SOG.
Police Inspector D.D. Parmar and his team subsequently detained all three men in Vapi.
A Gujarat ATS team comprising Police Inspector J.N. Chavda, Police Sub-Inspector M.L. Solanki, Police Sub-Inspector K.R. Patel, Police Sub-Inspector V.B. Khant and other personnel then brought them to the ATS office for questioning.
“During interrogation, investigators gathered details about the alleged roles of the three accused in the murder, the reconnaissance conducted before the shooting and other aspects of the case,” the ATS said.
The Punjab Police was subsequently informed of their detention.
On October 10, a Punjab Police team arrived at the Gujarat ATS office, took custody of the three accused and transported them to Punjab for further legal proceedings.
The investigation into the murder is being pursued by the Punjab Police.
Earlier, the Ahmedabad Crime Branch arrested Parminder Prasad alias Parminder Kaka, the alleged main shooter in the murder, in the Vadaj area of Ahmedabad on October 8, following an input from the Amritsar Police.
According to Crime Branch officials, Parminder allegedly opened fire on Mad Sandhu and arranged the motorcycle used in the attack.
Punjab Police subsequently took him to Amritsar for further investigation, while investigators were also probing the suspected links of the killing with the network of foreign-based gangster Goldy Dhillon.
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