Hyderabad: The Telangana Assembly was adjourned sine die after the House cleared the Appropriation Bill-2015. The Congress members walked out in protest against the government’s failure to clarify on several matters raised  by them. In his reply to the debate on the Appropriation Bill,  Finance Minister Eatala Rajender asserted that no one need to doubt government’s commitment to ground and execute the “big-ticket schemes” announced by Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao. 

The Finance Minister had to face some embarrassing moments as the Congress member and TPCC President Uttam Kumar Reddy criticised the government for having failed to keep the promise of placing before the House the correct figures of revised budget estimates. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Leader of Opposition K Jana Reddy and MIM leader Assaduddin expressed their unhapiness over absence of the Chief Minister in the House during the discussion on the Appropriation Bill and also when it was voted in the evening.

Uttam said the government had failed to declare 401 mandals as drought-affected as demanded by the Congress and it was non-responsive to its demand that the 10-year-old GO on payment of ex-gratia to farmers shall be amended and the amount of ex-gratia shall be raised to families of farmers who committed suicide. Uttam said the government had failed to come up with a schedule for filling up of government posts and the TRS government has not cleared pending bills to beneficiaries of Indiramma houses.

Congress members then staged a walkout even as the Appropriation Bill was put to vote and passed by a voice-vote. On another issue raised by the Congress as to how the State government is raising loans, Eatala clarified that the loans were being raised with government standing as guarantee and not through crossing the limits set by the FRBM (Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management) Act.

Clarifying to issues raised by BJP member G Kishan Reddy and CPM member Sunnam Rajaiah, Eatala said the State government is trying its best to revive Sirpur–Kagaznagar paper mills (SPM) and has already paid arrears, strengthened its cash balance and is also supplying raw material (wood) at 50 percent subsidy. Eatala said the government is seriously considering revival of Ramagundam-based Fertilizer Corporation of India (FCI).