‘Youth must understand budget basics, avoid digital traps’

R. V. Karnan, Commissioner of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, on Saturday urged the students to go beyond textbooks and develop a deeper understanding of the Union and State budgets, including concepts like fiscal deficit and expenditure patterns.

Speaking at the State-level ‘Viksit Bharat Youth Parliament’, Karnan emphasized the importance of distinguishing between capital and revenue expenditure and noted that government borrowing is regulated under Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) regulations. He also encouraged youth to independently file income tax returns and stay informed through newspapers and knowledge-based reading.

Cautioning against digital overuse, he said mobile phones can be either beneficial or harmful depending on usage, warning that online advertisements are driven by user behavior. “Do not become pawns to algorithm-driven content”, he advised.

The two-day event, held at the Dr. Marri Channa Reddy Human Resource Development Institute, is being organized by MY Bharat (an initiative of the Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports) in coordination with the National Service Scheme (NSS), with 165 participants from across Telangana.

District Youth Officer T. Esaiah stated that five young men and women were selected from each district through the district-level competitions to participate in this program and that a total of 165 participants were taking part in this event. He noted that each participant in this competition was required to deliver a three-minute speech on the topic: "Union Budget 2026: A Stepping Stone for Youth Empowerment and the Realization of Viksit Bharat 2047."

Graduate MLC Ch. Anji Reddy announced Rs.10 lakh accident insurance coverage for all the participants. The event was attended by NSS Youth Officer Ramavath Saida Naik, State NSS Coordinator G. Narasimha Goud, National Youth Award recipient and magician Samala Venu as well as the District Youth Officers from Hyderabad, Ranga Reddy, and Karimnagar—E. Isaiah, Ganta Rajesh, Khushboo Gupta and Rambabu. The dance performances like Bharatanatyam by  Madhuri Munimakula and Kuchipudi by  Akshara Rathod - captivated the entire audience. 

The valedictory session is scheduled for 4:30 PM on Sunday, during which prizes will be presented to the first, second and the third-place winners at the state level by Dr. Jayesh Ranjan, Principal Secretary to Government of Telangana, Madhu Yaskhi Goud (former Member of Parliament and Chairman of the Telangana Congress Campaign Committee) and S. Ansuman Prasad Das (State Director of 'My Bharat').