Financial mess handiwork of previous govt: Seethakka
Speaking to reporters after having lunch at the residence of a fine rice scheme beneficiary at Patigadda in Hyderabad, the minister dared BRS president and former chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao to 'come to Assembly and show his power if he wants'.
While accusing the BRS of failing to fulfil the promises it made to the people during its regime, she said that the present Congress government was implementing the superfine rice scheme though it was not mentioned its poll manifesto.
'Because of the loans taken by the previous BRS government, our government is facing many financial problems. Our government is paying Rs 6,000 crore every month towards the interest and principal for loans taken by the previous government,' she added.
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India Today
32 minutes ago
- India Today
Dam-ning report on Kaleshwaram puts KCR in Congress crosshairs
During the assembly election campaign in Telangana in 2023, the Congress went to town displaying a dummy ATM, calling it the 'Kaleshwaram ATM'. It was even programmed to give out fake currency notes to drive home the message that the money that had been allegedly "looted" by the then-ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) regime by undertaking the Kaleshwaram multi-irrigation project on the Godavari river, belonged to the people of charge has now attained official status, with the stamp of approval issued by the Justice PC Ghose Commission of Inquiry that was appointed to investigate allegations of 'negligence, irregularities and lacunae in the Planning, Designing and Construction' of the Medigadda, Annaram and Sundilla barrages of the Kaleshwaram project. The Commission that was also tasked with probing alleged financial irregularities, contract execution and operation and maintenance, has now submitted its report to the Telangana government and has severely indicted the entire decision-making process on Kaleshwaram. It has found rampant procedural and financial irregularities, lack of proper planning, design flaws, and construction Justice Ghose committee is not a wishy-washy mass of words. The former Supreme Court judge who was also Chief Justice of the Andhra Pradesh High court, has not minced words and has directly held former chief K Chandrasekhar Rao, his then Irrigation minister and nephew T Harish Rao, his then Finance minister E Rajender, who is now with the BJP and senior IAS officers responsible for "disregard for established procedures, resulting in colossal waste of public money". Politically, the attempt is to discredit Kaleshwaram that the BRS is proud of trumpeting as one of its major achievements in its decade-long reign in Telangana. But the common man on the street is unlikely to worry too much about the unilateralism of the decision-making process and the fact that cabinet approvals were not taken before greenlighting certain key aspects of the project. This is because it was well known that there was only one decision maker in the BRS government under KCR and most cabinet ministers, barring those who belonged to the BRS first family, were mere yes men and will however, hurt the BRS is the allegation of corruption. The project initially conceived at Rs 38500 crores escalated to Rs 71436 crore in 2016 and later saw revised administrative approvals for Rs 1,10,248 crore by 2022. That is where the Anti-Corruption Bureau comes in. In April, the agency arrested B Hari Ram, the engineer-in-chief of the Kaleshwaram project and the Managing Director of the Kaleshwaram Irrigation Project Corporation, after it was found that he had amassed properties worth Rs 200 crore - a clear case of assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Hari Ram along with other senior engineers, is mentioned in the Ghose report and singled out for "negligence, dishonesty and perjury". This case only gives ammunition to the Congress charge that many in the Kaleshwaram pipeline, starting from the top, made hay while the sun is interesting to note that when it comes to Kaleshwaram, both the Congress and the BJP speak in the same voice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi too had called the project "an ATM for KCR's family" and the Centre, despite several requests by the then BRS government, refused to grant it national does it mean for the politics of Telangana?The Kaleshwaram report comes at an inopportune time for the BRS, which is grappling with the fighting that has broken out within the first family and engulfed other senior leaders of the party. KCR's daughter Kavitha has raised the banner of revolt against the "coterie'' that surrounds the BRS supremo. The war of words got ugly with Kavitha choosing to body-shame former Power minister Jagdish Reddy, ridiculing him as "Lilliput'' an intemperate reference to his the BRS is likely to play the victim card, highlighting instead the agricultural land that got irrigated as a result of Kaleshwaram. It knows that while the Revanth Reddy government will order further investigation, the CM will think twice before proceeding legally against KCR, given the Andhra Pradesh experience. Jaganmohan Reddy's decision to arrest Chandrababu Naidu in the Skill Development scam case in 2023 led to an outpouring of sympathy for the septuagenarian leader, who spent 53 days in jail. It translated into a massive victory for the Telugu Desam-led NDA the following Congress will do is to play the Kaleshwaram card aggressively in the local body elections in both rural Telangana and in Hyderabad, hoping to generate voter traction. The report also provides the government with an opening to order a further probe into "malicious intent'' to "benefit and make unlawful gain'' and even recovery of Rs 677 lakh from officials responsible for the decision to ignore the report by a central government agency. The probes will keep Kaleshwaram in the public consciousness and force the BRS on the in the BJPInterestingly, the report will have its fallout in the BJP as well as it will gladden the hearts of the anti-Rajender camp in the saffron party. Rajender, who was passed over when the new president of the Telangana unit was appointed, and has been upset with the BJP leadership ever since, has been cited as having demonstrated "a lack of commitment and integrity in safeguarding the financial and economic health of the newly-formed state.''In the run-up to the 2023 polls, Revanth Reddy, in a bid to whip up political tempers, had repeatedly promised to send the KCR family to prison. Earlier this year, Kavitha was arrested in the Delhi liquor case and was released after five months in Tihar jail. Kaleshwaram will now be the next big challenge for the Kalvakuntla family.- Ends(Views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author)Must Watch
India.com
41 minutes ago
- India.com
Net Direct Tax Collection Surges After Reduction Of Corporate Tax Rates: Minister
New Delhi: The net direct tax collection saw strong growth in FY25 at Rs 22,26,375 crore, a 13.48 per cent year-on-year growth, as there has been an overall increase in collections after reduction of the corporate tax rates with effect from Assessment year (AY) 2020-21, the Parliament was informed on Monday. Since FY 2021-22, the growth in net direct tax collection has been robust, Minister of State for Finance, Pankaj Chaudhary, told the Lok Sabha in a written reply. The total revenue impact on account of tax benefits extended to companies was Rs 88,109.27 crore and Rs 98,999.57 crore (projected) in FY 2022-23 and FY 2023-24, respectively. "The above tax benefits have the impact of making the corporates competitive and encouraging investment and, therefore, economic growth," the minister said. To encourage startups, initiatives taken have resulted in an increase in the number of startups claiming deduction under Section 80IAC of the Income Tax Act from 328 in AY 2022-23 to 877 in AY 2024-25. Further, the number of companies covered under Section 80JJAA in respect of employment of new employees has increased from 2,838 in AY 2022-23 to 3,644 in AY 2024-25, said Chaudhary. "The specific incentives are provided in the Income-tax Act through the Finance Bill. The initiatives taken have led to the generation of employment, an increase in tax revenue and overall economic growth," he noted. In order to create a globally competitive business environment for domestic companies, attract fresh investment and create employment opportunities, section 115BAA and section 115BAB were introduced in the Income Tax Act through the Taxation Laws (Amendment) Act, 2019. The impact of Section 115BAB is reflected in a significant growth of new manufacturing companies from 2,928 in AY 2022-23 to 7,185 in AY 2024-25, according to the minister. India's total gross direct tax collections (before adjusting for refunds) have more than doubled in the last five years, reflecting the high economic growth and improved tax compliance in the country, which has been encouraged with the introduction of the new digital technology.
Scroll.in
an hour ago
- Scroll.in
SC questions Uttar Pradesh's ‘tearing hurry' in promulgating Banke Bihari temple ordinance
The Supreme Court on Monday questioned the 'tearing hurry' with which the Uttar Pradesh government promulgated the 2025 Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance, which permitted it to take over the management of the shrine in Mathura district's Vrindavan, Live Law reported. A bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi was hearing petitions against the ordinance. It also expressed disapproval of the 'clandestine manner' in which the state government, by filing an application in a civil dispute, secured permission through a May 15 judgement to use temple funds for the development of a corridor. The May 15 verdict permitted the state government to use temple funds to acquire five acres of land to develop a corridor that is estimated to cost Rs 500 crore, India Today reported. However, this was allowed on the condition that the land should be registered in the name of the deity. On Monday, the bench verbally proposed to recall the directions in the May 15 verdict, Live Law reported. It also proposed the formation of a committee headed by a retired judge to oversee the management of the temple while the validity of the ordinance was being decided by the High Court. The bench then adjourned the hearing of the petitions against the ordinance till Tuesday. During the proceedings, advocate Shyam Divan, appearing for the former management of the temple, told the court that the ordinance ejected the Goswamis, who were earlier managing the temple, and vested the state government with the management, Live Law reported. He added that the directions in the May 15 judgement were passed 'behind the back of the management' as they were not heard. The verdict came in a case that dealt with a private dispute between two sects, the advocate added. The state government intervened in the private dispute and secured the orders for the utilisation of the temple funds, he added. The lawyer for the former management of the temple urged the court to issue a status quo order and further questioned the need for the state government to urgently promulgate an ordinance. 'Ordinance is for emergency measures,' Live Law quoted Divan as having said. The bench then asked Additional Solicitor General KM Nataraj, representing the state government, how the May 15 judgment could be justified when the affected parties were not heard. Kant criticised the manner in which the directions were passed without notice to the affected parties. 'A public notice could have been issued,' Live Law quoted Kant as having said. 'It was not a case of No Man's Land. Someone had to be heard on the behalf of the temple… Temple funds will have to be utilised for pilgrims, can't be pocketed by private persons.' He also added that the state government had filed an application in the dispute in a 'clandestine manner', adding that this was unacceptable. The judge asked why the state government did not acquire the land as per the law after paying compensation. 'What was the tearing hurry for the ordinance?' Live Law quoted Kant as having asked. The case The Banke Bihari temple in Vrindavan has historically been managed privately. In 2023, the Allahabad High Court permitted the development of a corridor that was proposed by the Uttar Pradesh government, Live Law reported. However, it restrained the state government from using Rs 262.5 crore from the temple fund for its construction. In March, the High Court appointed advocate Sanjay Goswami as an amicus curiae to assist in resolving management-related issues. Subsequently, the state government promulgated the 2025 Shri Bankey Bihari Ji Temple Trust Ordinance. It proposed the creation of a statutory trust with several state government officials as ex-officio trustees. On May 15, the Supreme Court modified the 2023 order issued by the High Court. The bench allowed the state government to use temple funds to acquire five acres of land around the temple for the development of the corridor. The verdict came in a private dispute between two sects
