Hyderabad, April 07: Telugu Desam Party (TDP) senior leader Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said that the Planning Commission’s remarks indicates that there would be a drastic cut in subsidies on agriculture and others.
Speaking to reporters here today, Ramakrishnudu said the Centre had already cut subsidies on food, fertilisers and petroleum.
The amount on subsidies was halved in 2010-11 as against the Rs 1.90 lakh crore subsidies in 2009-10.
There is an impending danger of increase in petro prices, which would have cascading effect on the prices of other commodities.
This trend would further burden the poor, Ramakrishnudu said. He said the subsidy on fertilisers was reduced by Rs 55,000 crore last year and this would increase the cost of cultivation and increase in price of foodgrains.
The Planning Commission said that poverty was reduced in the State during the TDP regime due to its welfare programmes.
But, the latest report wanted the State Government to scrap welfare schemes or reorient them.
It means that the welfare schemes implemented by the Congress Government in the last six years were unproductive and did not help the poor, the TDP leader said.
Ramakrishnudu lamented that the ministers were finding fault with the CAG report. The CAG passed serious strictures on the Government schemes. Before, the CAG report comes to the PAC, the ministers should give explanation to the people, he demanded.
On the Women’s Reservation Bill, Ramakrishnudu said the Centre should bring an official amendment to creating a subquota for BCs and minorities in the Women’s Reservation Bill.
He also demanded enumeration of BCs in the 2011 census.
–Agencies