With a focus on state welfare, Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Buggana Rajendernath on Friday presented the annual budget for 2022-23 in the state Legislative Assembly with a total outlay of 2,56,256 crores. The revenue expenditure was pegged at Rs 2,08,261 crore and capital expenditure at Rs 47,996 crores.
The government projected revenue deficit of Rs 17,036 crore and fiscal deficit to be Rs 48,724 crore, the Finance Minister said adding that the fiscal deficit would be around 3.64 per cent of the GSDP, whereas the revenue deficit works out to be about 1.27 per cent.
Top priority was given to welfare and allocated Rs. 45,955 crores and Rs 30,077 crore earmarked for education. The Finance Minister also prioritised health and earmarked Rs 15,384.26 crore for the sector.
Other allocations and key points of the Budget are: Urban development-Rs 8,796 crore; social security-Rs 4,331.85 crore; crore, children and gender- Rs 4,322.86 crore; SC sub-plan-Rs 18,518 crore; ST sub-plan – Rs 6,145 crore; BC Sub-plan-Rs 29,143 crore; minority welfare-Rs 3,661 crore; Kapu welfare-Rs 3,537 crore; Amma Vodi scheme-Rs 6,500 crore; Mana Badi (Nadu-Nedu)-Rs 3,500 crore; housing for poor- Rs 4,791.69 crore. For school education, Rs 27,706.66 crore has been allocated which is 12.52 percent higher than the previous year.
“In the last three years, we have set in motion changes through Navaratnalu and welfare schemes mentioned in the Party manifesto. We have been working for social inclusion to make our State a leader in all interventions under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG),” the Finance Minister said.
The Finance Minister quoted verses from poets including native literary personalities Sri Sri, Gurazada, Vemana and Kalidas and Nobel Prize winner Muta Maathai.
The government allocated Rs 69,306.74 crore for economical services which are 27.05 per cent of the total outlay of the budget, Rs 1,13,340.20 crore for social services which is 44.23 per cent of the entire budget and the rest for general services.
The Budget has allocated Rs 48,802.71 crore for DBT schemes in 2022-23, an increase from Rs 39,615.98 crores from last year. YSR Pension Kanuka was allocated Rs 18,000.90 crore, YSR Rythu Bharosa Rs 3,900 crore, YSR Aasara Rs 6,400 crore, YSR Cheyuta Rs 4,235.95 crore, Amma Vodi Rs 6,500 crore, Jagananna Vidya Deevena Rs 2,500 crore, Jagananna Vasati Deevena (MTF) Rs 2,083.32 crore, YSR – PM Fasal Bima Yojana Rs 1,802.04 crore, Y.S.R Interest-free loans to Self Help Groups Rs 600 crore, Y.S.R Interest-free loans to Urban Self Help Groups Rs 200 crore, Y.S.R Interest-free Loans to Farmers Rs 500 crore, YSR Kapu Nestham Rs 500 crore, YSR Jagananna Chedodu Rs 300 crore, YSR Vahana Mitra Rs 260 crore, YSR Nethanna Nestham Rs 199.99 crore, YSR Matsyakara Bharosa Rs 120.49 crore, diesel subsidy to fishermen boats Rs 50 crore, ex-gratia to farmers Rs 20 crore, Law Nestham Rs 15 crore and Jagananna Thodu Rs 25.01 crore.
Other Budgetary allocations include Rs 3,100 crore for subsidy on Rice (Human Resources Development), Rs 200.02 crore for door delivery of rice. On the industries front, Incentives for Industrial Promotion for Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) was allocated Rs 450 crore, Incentives for Industrial Promotion Rs 411.62 crore, ADB (Asian Development Bank) – Visakhapatnam-Chennai Industrial Corridor Development Program – (APRDC Component Rs 250 Crores) – (APIIC Component- Rs 236.86 crore), Incentives to the SC Entrepreneurs for Industrial Promotion Rs 175 crore, Incentives to IT & Electronics Industries/ Organizations Rs 60 crore, and YSR Bima Rs 372.12 crore. Others include Rs 1,149.93 Crore for Jal Jeevan Mission (JJM)/National Rural Drinking Water Mission and Rs 500 Crore for Swachh Bharat Mission – Gramin.
Later, Minister K Kanna Babu presented the Budget allocation for agriculture 2022-23 with an outlay of Rs 43,052.78 crore.
The Minister said that Rythu Barosa Kendras (RBK), which stood as a game-changer in rural areas and won numerous awards, is allocated Rs 18 crore for the year. Rythu Bharosa PM Kisan Rs 7,020 crore, for YSR Corp Insurance Rs 1,802.04 crore, Rs 500 crores for Dr YSR Zero Interest crop loans, Rs 200 crore for subsidized seeds. Rs 2,000 crore is allocated towards natural calamities Fund as Rs 1,612.62 crores were given as investment subsidy to farmers. Rs 50 crore was allocated towards integrated agri labs. The sum up would be Rs 12,285.70 crore for agriculture.
For the marketing department development, Rs 614.23 crore was allocated, Rs 248.45 crore for the cooperative sector, Rs 146.41 crore for the food processing department and Rs 554.04 crore for the horticulture department. For the sericulture department, Rs 98.99 crore was allocated, Rs 421.15 crore for Acharya N G Ranga Agriculture University, Rs 59.91 crore for YSR Horticulture University and Rs 122.50 crore was allocated for Sri Venkateswara Veterinary University. An amount of Rs 1027.82 crore was allocated for the animal husbandry department and Rs 337.23 crore was allocated for the development of the fisheries department. The Budget has allocated Rs 5,000 crore to power subsidy, Rs 8,328 crore for linking MGNREGS to agriculture, Rs 50 crore to YSR Jala Kala and Rs 11,450 crore was allocated for the irrigation department.
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