KCR: Modi made all states beggars

Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the NDA government of turning states into beggars by arrogating all powers to itself.

He also accused the Central government of juggling with the high tax devolution to states it takes credit for.

Speaking in the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday, Mr Rao said, “On one hand, they claim to be giving 42 per cent highest tax devolution to states. On the other hand, they cut down funds Centrally Sponsored Schemes (CSS) drastically. So, the benefit of higher tax devolution does not reach the states as the states have to bear the additional expenditure on CSS.”

He also came down heavily on the NDA government for burdening states with the Uday scheme.

“They made tall claims of making power distribution companies in states debt-free under the Uday scheme. But that debt burden was passed on to the states. The Telangana government had to take over a `9,000 crore debt burden of the discoms under the Uday scheme,” he said.

He said that the previous UPA regime had started model schools in all states, but the NDA government stopped the scheme all of a sudden. “Now the financial burden to maintain these schools and pay salaries to staff is borne by the states. In this way, one government at the Centre starts schemes and another government stops them abruptly. States are forced to face the consequences on account of such unilateral decisions,” he pointed out.