Hyderabad: Former union minister Bandaru Dattatreya expressed surprise over the criticism of central government by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao for not devolving powers on state governments making them handicapped to execute different welfare programmes in the state.
In a letter addressed to the CM today, Dattatreya pointed out that it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had not only accepted the recommendations made by the 14th finance commission but also increased the devolution of funds from 32 percent to 42 percent immediately after assuming the charge. He hastened to add that the state government did not initiate a similar exercise and devolved funds on local bodies of the state.
He alleged that the Telangana government was not in favour of devolution of powers to the local bodies in the state. He said that financial powers must be exercised by local bodies for the all round development of the state. He urged the CM to expedite the process of devolution of powers to the local bodies with help to State finance commission. He made it clear that the state finance commission did nothing in the first term of TRS led state government vis-a-vis devolution of powers to the local bodies.
[source_without_link]NSS[/source_without_link]