Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav presented Rs 2.94 lakh crore budget for Andhra Pradesh on Monday. He tabled the budget in the Assembly session that began on the day. Earlier, the budget was approved by the cabinet which met at Block I of the Velagapudi secretariat under the chairmanship of chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
Keshav presented the Rs 2,94,427.25 crore budget for the financial year 2024-25 as the vote on account budget is scheduled to be closed by the end of this month. The NDA government had issued an ordinance for the vote on account budget after it was formed in June this year.
The finance minister showed a revenue expenditure of Rs 2,94,916.99 crore and a revenue deficit of Rs 34,743.38 crore. He allocated Rs 29,909 crore for school education, Rs 11,855 crore for agriculture and allied sectors, Rs 18,497 crore for SC welfare, Rs 7,557 crore for the ST welfare, 39,007 crore for the BC welfare, 4,376 crore for the minorities welfare, 4,285 crore for women and child welfare, 1,215 crore for the human resources development, Rs 2,326 crore for higher education, 18,421 crore for health and Rs 16,739 crore for the Panchayat Raj and Rural development.
The finance minister also allocated Rs 11,490 crore for the urban development, Rs 4,012 crore for housing, Rs 16m705 crore for water resources management, Rs 3,127 crore for industrial development, Rs 8,207 crore for energy sector, Rs 9,554 crore for Roads and buildings department, Rs 322 crore for the sports and youth affairs, 8,495 crore for the police department, Rs 687 crore for forest and science and technology department.
The finance minister said that the NDA government is committed to implement all its promises made to the people during the recent general elections to the State Assembly. The government had already started implementing the increased pension for the aged persons.
Among the Super Six promises, he said the three free gas cylinders was implemented and the Ammaku Vandanam should also be implemented in the days to come. He said that the government would extend the financial assistance to the mothers of children studying Class I to Class XII.
Keshav also said that the government would soon start the free bus travel for the women in the state. The government would take a decision on the date of implementation of the scheme, he said.
