Former AP Special Chief Secretary Dr. P.V. Ramesh cautioned that Andhra Pradesh is reeling under economic, social and cultural political crises. He deplored that the major political parties have become one-man companies and have made a mockery of democracy.
Speaking at a meeting on how to overcome the financial crisis in Andhra Pradesh?, organized by Jana Chaitanya Vedika in Guntur, he said that from 2014 to 2023, Andhra Pradesh had to borrow 20 percent more every year, while the revenue has been decreasing by 6 percent every year.
Stating that the Andhra Pradesh ranks 17th out of 18 states in the NITI Aayog Fiscal Health Index, he said that the report given by NITI Aayog on the state of financial health has put Andhra Pradesh at the top of the debt index and has given zero marks in terms of debt repayment. He said that in the last 10 years, the capital expenditure in the state budget has been limited to 4 percent.
Dr Ramesh said that the CFMS system, which was established with good intentions, has gone astray and has become a benefit for its followers. He said that in the current degraded system, the major political parties are promoting the poisonous tradition of dividing people on the basis of caste, religion and region, and instead of uniting the people, they are dividing them and getting political benefits.
He also expressed concern that massage films that bring change and consciousness among the people are not coming out in Telugu. Dr Ramesh suggested taking Tamil and Malayalam films as inspiration and bringing cultural consciousness. He alleged that people are becoming billionaires by avoiding bank loans worth lakhs of crores of rupees.
Former minister Dokka Manikya Varaprasad, said that the major parties are announcing freebies for victory without asking the people. He made it clear that the people only want quality education, medical care and employment, not freebies. He wondered that the BJP government, which has always criticized the freebies given by the states, announced more freebies in the recent Delhi elections, which is a proof of double standards.
Jana Chaitanya Vedika State President Vallamreddy Lakshmana Reddy, who presided over the meeting, said that AP has sunk into a debt trap and has reached a point of taking loans to repay the debts. He deplored irrigation projects are becoming corruption irrigation projects for the rulers, and he said that the 31 irrigation projects currently under construction should be completed immediately, only then will wealth be created.
He warned that the proposed Godavari Banakacherla project by borrowing Rs. 80,000 crore rupees should not become another Kaleshwaram project. He wanted an inquiry into the scams taking place in power projects against Adani and Shirdi Sai Electricals.
