The State budget for the next financial year is expected to have a heavy accent on welfare and agriculture with Finance Minister Eatala Rajender asserting that welfare, health, education and agriculture and allied sectors continue to be priority areas of the government during the next fiscal.
The Finance Minister said agriculture and allied sectors including power and irrigation components are likely to receive more than 20 % of the total budget outlay for the next year. The Minister, however, did not reveal the quantum of the allocations that are proposed for these sectors.
In an informal chat with reporters here on Thursday, the Minister said exercise was on to present the TRS “government mark” budget and reviews with individual departments had already commenced to assess their requirements. Exercise was on to verify the allocations made and actuals in terms of revenue and expenditure related aspects and the reports would be fine tuned during the meeting that would be convened by Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao after the preliminary exercise was completed.
“The budget will carry the mark of our government ushering in a welfare State with farmers and poor as focus sectors. We are assessing the requirements projected by the departments so that a fine balance can be achieved while making the allocations,” he said. As it is, the spending in sectors like irrigation and corporations like the watergrid were up to the mark both in terms of the budgetary allocations and off-budget releases.
Various issues including the likely rise in the power subsidy component to farm sector consequent on the implementation of 24-hour power supply to farm sector were being factored in the preparation of the annual financial statement. The government was also waiting for the presentation of the Central budget as it would give clarity on the allocations that would be made to the State through tax devolutions and other Centrally sponsored schemes.
“The Centre can make allocation of at least ₹10,000 crore to Kaleshwaram as it is satisfied with the progress of work. The same is the case with Mission Bhagiratha and Mission Kakatiya for which the NITI Aayog recommended allocation of funds by the Centre,” he said. The State deserved more allocations from the Central pool as it had attracted the attention of other States taking up more works in the limited time and had turned into a role model for others in some areas.
