Business
Union Budget: All key demands of Telangana ignored
The Union Budget 2022-23 came as a big shock for Telangana as all its demands for additional funds and new projects were ignored.
The budget speech of Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also had no mention of the commitments made to the state under Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014.
The state had high hopes from the budget and it had demanded allocation of Rs 60,000 crore for various projects. It was for this reason the budget evoked angry reaction from Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who termed it as ‘golmal’ and ‘useless’ budget.
Telangana’s long pending demand for national status to either Kaleshwaram or Palamuru-Rangareddy lift irrigation projects was again ignored by the Centre.
As per the budget estimates, Telangana will get Rs 17,165 crore during 2022-23 as its share in the central taxes. This is Rs 3,175.85 crore higher than the 2021-22 budget estimates and Rs 1,240.14 crore higher than the revised estimates.
However, there was no allocation to the state in addition to the state’s share in central taxes, funds for local bodies as per the recommendation of Finance Commission and allocation for centrally sponsored schemes.
With the Centre imposing a huge cut of Rs 25,000 crore on allocation of MGNREGS across the country, the flow of funds to the state under the rural employment guarantee scheme is likely to be badly hit.
Telangana has 1.19 crore workers registered under the scheme and they are provided work for 100 days in a year with minimum daily wages of Rs 237. With the cut in allocation the state may be forced to cut the number of workers or work days under the scheme. For the current financial year, the state has received Rs 3,053 crore under the central scheme.
The Centre also did not take the recommendation of 15th Finance Commission to allocate Rs 2,362 crore for state-specific grants for four years from 2022-23 into consideration. As per this recommendation, the state was expecting Rs 471 crore every year.
The state has also not received arrears towards the special assistance for development of backward areas under AP Reorganisation Act. For the last three years, the state government had been demanding release of Rs 24,205 crore as per the recommendation of NITI Aayog.
Similarly, the demand to allocate funds for Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya as per the recommendation of NITI Aayog was once again ignored. Ahead of the budget, state finance minister T. Harish Rao had written to union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman seeking Rs 5,205 crore for Mission Kakatiya, Rs 19,000 crore for Mission Bhagiratha as recommended by NITI Aayog.
Under Mission Kakatiya, the government has taken up revival of irrigation tanks and while Mission Bhagiratha is aimed at supplying drinking water to every house by laying pipelines.
Though the Telangana government has been urging the Centre for last seven years to fulfill the commitments made in AP Reorganisation Act, 2014, the same were ignored once again.
Under the Act, the Centre had promised railway coach factory at Kazipet, a tribal university and a steel factory at Bayyaram.
Telangana’s repeated demand for revival of Information Technology and Investment Region (ITIR) was once again ignored. In 2014, the then Congress-led UPA government had sanctioned ITIR for Hyderabad but after BJP-led NDA came to power, the project was shelved.
The state had also demanded setting up of IIM, Navodaya Vidayalayas, six industrial corridors, funds for Kakatiya mega textile park, Hyderabad Pharma City and various other urban infrastructure projects.
The Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) government has been demanding that a progressive state like Telangana should be encouraged with allocation of funds and projects. The party leaders said once again the state was given a raw deal.
Ahead of the budget, Telangana ministers wrote a series of letters to Sitharaman seeking funds and projects for the state.
Minister for industries, information technology, municipal administration and urban development, K.T. Rama Rao, finance minister T. Harish Rao and tribal welfare minister Satyavathi Rathod wrote to Sitharaman and other union ministers seeking nearly Rs 60,000 crore to Telangana in the budget.
Rama Rao had sought Rs 7,800 crore for urban development, Rs 954 crore for textiles and handlooms, R. 14,000 crore for Hyderabad Pharma City.
State Planning Commission vice-chairman B. Vinod Kumar wrote to the Railway Minister seeking completion of pending railway projects and announcement of new railway lines for Telangana in the budget.
Business
‘What Is The Hack?’: X User Raises Questions Over Uber’s Differential Pricing On iPhones & Android
Cab-aggregator services have become an integral part of commute in many urban centres in India. Uber is one of the biggest names in the business, not just in India but globally.
In a story that surrounds the functioning of the application, one user took to X, to notify a peculiar observation.
While many have anecdotally mentioned a pattern of distinction in the pricing of the services, depending the device in use, this apparent differential phenomenon was highlighted by an X user who noticed the same.
Different Phones, Different Prices
The user who goes by the name SUDHIR, with the handle @seriousfunnyguy took to X with a photograph of two phones. The phones in the photograph had the Uber open. In the app, the user was in the process of booking a ride.
As one book a ride, the app shows different modes and options along with their respective pricing. In this, on one phone, which is an Android phone, the price is lower than the price for the same distance, on an iPhone. The rides were also booked at the same time.
The indignant user added, “Same pickup point, destination & time but 2 different phones get 2 different rates. It happens with me as I always get higher rates on my Uber as compared to my daughter’s phone. So most of the time, I request her to book my Uber. Does this happen with you also? What is the hack?”
Different Pricing Across Modes
In this, the pricing on the Android phone is shown to be lower than the prices on the Apple iPhones for all options, including Uber Auto, Uber Go, Go Sedan and Uber XL.
In the first option, there is a gap of over Rs 42. With Uber Go, there is a difference that is even greater at over Rs 120. For the Uber Go Sedan, the difference is over Rs 65. In addition, the price for Uber XL is close to Rs 100.
Business
‘Its Prime Real Estate’: Anand Mahindra Expresses Awe At Grandiose Of Brabus Big Boy 1200
In the City of Dreams that is Mumbai, one of the biggest ‘dreams’ of most who live in the metropolis is to find an abode, that they can call it their own. Real estate in Mumbai is known for its sky-high pricing, with figures of Rs 10-15 crore not surprising anyone.
The Motorhome
Space is a major issue in city, given the paucity of it, in a region that encompasses millions. However, what happens when the space is not only available but also mobile? That is precisely what a ‘motorhome’.
It may not been the most commonly seen or discussed avenue in this part of the world, but in other parts of the world, particularly in the US, an RV or recreational vehicle is the way of life, either by choice or by circumstance.
Mahindra Group chairman, Anand Mahindra recently reacted to one such motorhome. In a post on X, he shared a minute-long clipping of the Brabus Big Boy 1200. This is an uber-luxe, profligate motorhome manufactured by the German automobile company Brabus.
Mahindra, while reacting to the video of a person showing around the bus said, That’s not transport. It’s prime real estate.”
And one may arguably agree with Mahindra on this. The vehicle is extravagant and has a length of 12 meters or 39.4 ft and over 30 square meters or 320 sq ft. For context, the average size of homes in city of Mumbai hovers around 400-700 sq ft.
What Are The Features Of This Motorhome?
In addition, the vehicle also has two electrically extendable slide-outs on each side. These slide-outs can extend the bedroom and saloon to a width of 4.50 meters.
In addition, the motorhome also consists of a double bed measuring 160 x 200 centimeters.
A closet is integrated into the rear wall of the vehicle.
For amusement, the vehicle also has a desk and a 43-inch 4K television. Here one could watch TV programs that have been made available on the system play games on the integrated Playstation 5 system.
In addition, one can also connect to the internet through the Starlink system.
When it comes to the vehicle, it runs on a12.8-liter six-cylinder turbodiesel engine. This engine can deliver 390 kW / 530 hp and can generate a maximum torque of 2,600 Nm.
The vehicle is priced at around USD 1.5 million or a whopping Rs 12 crore.
Business
Maha will play key role in achieving India’s $5 trillion economy goal: Minister Tatkare
Nagpur, Dec 21: Representing Maharashtra in the pre-Union Budget meeting held in Jaisalmer, Minister Aditi Tatkare on Saturday assured that Maharashtra would play a pivotal role in India’s journey towards becoming a $5 trillion economy.
She emphasised the need for special financial assistance to the state in the upcoming Union Budget.
Minister Tatkare presented Maharashtra’s vision, highlighting its strategic role in realising the Prime Minister’s goal of a ‘Viksit Bharat’ by 2047.
Minister Tatkare outlined several critical issues and proposals for inclusion in the Union Budget. She urged the finance minister for central assistance for state Capital Investment by enhancing the allocation under the Scheme for Special Assistance to States for Capital Investment.
She emphasised the need for streamlining fund disbursement timelines to provide qualifying states with a minimum one-year utilisation window.
In the wake of rapid urbanisation, Minister Tatkare called for central support to tackle the challenges faced by the state.
“Maharashtra, with urbanisation expected to surpass 50 per cent in the upcoming census, faces challenges in resource mobilisation for urban local bodies (ULBs). The state government urges support for ULBs to access long-term loans for planned urban development and infrastructure enhancement,” she said.
Under the MukhyaMantri Saur Krushi Vahini Yojana 2.0, aimed at solarising agricultural feeders, Minister Tatkare sought increased targets and funding allocations for Maharashtra.
She requested expansion of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) capacity from 500 MWh to 9,000 MWh to meet the state’s energy storage goals.
In order to further boost the modernisation of the home department, Minister Tatkare sought funds on a 60:40 basis, for projects such as digital forensic labs, mobile forensic vans, AMBIS systems, and the Cyber Security Project (Rs 837.86 crore).
She highlighted the need for funding major initiatives like Dial 112 emergency services integration and Maharashtra Police Station CCTV projects.
She urged financial support for faster case disposal through enhanced infrastructure for the judiciary.
She requested funding for constructing the Bombay High Court Complex in Bandra (East), estimated at Rs 3,750 crore.
Further, to push the implementation of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) economic master plan, Minister Tatkare proposed a special package.
The master plan is aligning with NITI Aayog’s vision to transform MMR into a national growth hub by 2030.
According to NITI Aayog, the MMR has a potential to increase its GDP to $300 billion by 2030 from the present level of $140 billion.
The Centre’s public policy think tank has asked the Maharashtra government to concentrate on seven growth drivers and attract investment of $125-135 billion from the private sector to achieve the target.
In a bid to push the state government’s ambitious plan to make Maharashtra drought-free, the state government has sought central government support to include state-funded river-linking projects like Wainganga-Nalganga and Damanganga-Godavari under the National Interlinking of Rivers Scheme.
Further, the state government appealed to the Centre to ease revenue expenditure pressures to create fiscal space for capital projects and establish a ‘Kisan Vishesh Sahayata Nidhi’ to compensate farmers affected by trade policy interventions.
The state government also appealed for the enhancement of funding for ongoing schemes like the Jal Jeevan Mission and financial assistance for disaster-affected areas.
Minister Tatkare said the comprehensive representation highlighted Maharashtra’s ambitions and challenges, ensuring the state’s priorities were well-articulated for the Union Budget deliberations.
She reiterated Maharashtra’s commitment to becoming a cornerstone of India’s economic growth and development trajectory.
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