Date:06/01/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/01/06/stories/2008010655540800.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Funds plenty for housing: Minister

Special Correspondent

Rosaiah sees need to speed up the programmes

Cabinet sub-committee monitoring progress in both sectors
Regrets senior leaders’ public remarks against government

ONGOLE: Finance Minister K. Rosaiah here on Saturday asserted that there was no dearth of funds for irrigation and housing programmes.

Speaking to newspersons, he, however, felt the need to speed up these programmes to meet the targets without compromising on quality.

Budgetary allocation

When asked to respond to reports that appeared in a section of the press that Housing Minister B. Satyanarayana had expressed anger over poor flow of funds to housing at the Cabinet meeting held on Friday, Mr. Rosaiah said: “It is not my habit to reveal the discussions that took place in the Cabinet meeting.” The Finance Minister, however, said that he was prepared to release Rs. 5,000 crores for housing and Rs. 13,000 crores for irrigation as allocated in this year’s budget.

He pointed out that the allocations were made for the year and funds were released on quarterly basis. Some departments use more funds than allocated to them in the first one or two quarters while others lag behind. As Finance Minister, he had to take stock of the situation constantly to match the inflow and outflow of funds. “It is a balancing act,” he observed. Mr. Rosaiah pointed out that Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy had constituted a Cabinet sub-committee to monitor the progress in housing, sort out problems and speed up the programme to reach the targets. As the Chief Minister insisted that the sub-committee should meet every month, it met on December 3 and January 3. “Some persons did not attend the meetings due to their pre occupations,” said Mr. Rosaiah, who was also the sub-committee chairman.

Chiranjeevi’s entry

Mr. Rosaiah was evasive on the impact of the new party cine actor Chiranjeevi was contemplating to float on the prospects of the Congress. He said that there was no clarity as yet whether Mr. Chiranjeevi would float a party or not.

The Congress, being a 120-year-old national party, had seen many vicissitudes and took many successes and failures in its stride, the Minister added. Mr. Rosaiah refused to respond to the reported statements made by Congress leaders V. Hanumantha Rao and Chegondi Harirama Jogaiah that the Congress Government was steeped in corruption. Mr. Rosaiah, however, regretted that such senior leaders made such public statements.

They would undermine the party, he said and felt it was for high command to respond.