The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Clear air on World Bank `terms':CPI(M)

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Mar 02, 2005

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Clear air on World Bank `terms':CPI(M)

By Our Special Correspondent

HYDERABAD, MARCH 1. The CPI(M) member T. Veerabhdaram, today asked the Government to make public the World Bank's "conditionalities" and spell out the stand on its policies.

Continuing the debate on budget 2005-06, which was initiated by him on February 21, he recalled that the Chief Minister, Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, had agreed with the Left parties' criticism of the TDP regime for following the bank's diktats. But today the bank's stamp was seen on various issues, he alleged.

He said the people's verdict in the elections was also on the World Bank issue and urged the Government to come out with the conditionalities relating to irrigation projects, free power, cut in subsidies and employment. Referring to changes in the free power scheme and the Chief Minister's statement that only 10 per cent of the farmers were exempted from the scheme, he said: " The World Bank won't agree if we say free."

`Social sector ignored'

While the allocation for irrigation was satisfactory, he said the budget had not done justice to the social sector, rural development and agriculture. Referring to the Finance Minister, K. Rosaiah's reported statement that he would introduce "gender budget" he demanded tabling of "the social and Telangana budgets" detailing to what extent the SCs, STs, BCs and women were getting benefited as also the allocations made to various sectors in Telangana. He demanded continuation of talks with naxalites, implemenation of land reforms and the recommendations of the Girglani Commission report.

Y. Ramakrishnudu (TDP) accused the Government of driving the State into a debt trap. While the average borrowings during the TDP regime were Rs. 5,451 crores each year, they would be of the of the order of Rs. 8,875 crores now and the accumulated debts would touch a whopping Rs. 1,00,000 crores by the end of the Government's tenure.

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