KCR questions less than expected revenue from 5G spectrum auction

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday questioned the less than estimated amount being generated from the recent 5G spectrum auction.He was addressing a press conference where he announced his decision to boycott the seventh Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog scheduled to be held in Delhi on Sunday.You BJP had raised a hue and cry then about 2G spectrum that injustice has happened.

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Saturday questioned the less than estimated amount being generated from the recent 5G spectrum auction.

He was addressing a press conference where he announced his decision to boycott the seventh Governing Council meeting of NITI Aayog scheduled to be held in Delhi on Sunday.

''You (BJP) had raised a hue and cry then about 2G spectrum that injustice has happened. What about 5G spectrum today? When estimation was up to Rs 5 lakh crore, you get Rs 1.50 lakh crore? What is the scam behind this? What happened to the estimates?'' he told reporters.

''You talked big on 2G spectrum then. What answer you will give today? It is easy to accuse others. But, can you escape from this,'' Rao said.

India's biggest ever auction of telecom spectrum has recently received a record Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

Rao, who has been extremely critical of the BJP and NDA government in recent times, launched a fresh attack alleging that different wings of BJP abused Mahatma Gandhi.

Referring to BJP talking about the undesirability of freebies, he asked whether giving social security pensions to senior citizens and the differently-abled can be called as 'freebies'.

He also asked whether providing investment support, life insurance and free power to farmers (as in Telangana) amounted to 'freebies'.

The Chief Minister also alleged that non-performing assets (NPAs) increased during the current NDA regime.

On the occasion of 75 years of independence, Rao announced that 10 lakh new people would be given social security pension (Rs 2,016) in addition to the existing 36 lakh beneficiaries.

Altogether, 46 lakh beneficiaries would now get the pension, he said.

Rao announced that dialysis patients would also get the pension of Rs 2,106.

Several groups of citizens like single women and beedi workers already get the benefit of social security pensions in the state.

He said the government directed the release of certain prisoners with good conduct on the occasion.

The government would declare orphans as ''state children'' and provide education and other benefits to them, he added.