The Andhra Pradesh chapter of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has hailed the annual State Budget for the financial year 2021-22 with an estimated expenditure of ₹2.29 lakh crore.
In a statement on Thursday, its Chairman D. Tirupathi Raju said the government’s focus on welfare initiatives was a welcome step in view of the prevailing COVID-19 pandemic.
He said allocations made for welfare schemes would create demand for various goods and services.
Children Budget
Referring to the Gender and Children Budget, with a greater focus on measurable outcome on the money spent for children and women, he called it a step in the right direction.
The focus of Rythu Bharosa Kendras (RBKs) would benefit the farmers as they would function as farmer knowledge centres, he said, adding that the thrust on farm mechanisation would address the manpower shortage and enhance productivity.
The introduction of Nadu-Nedu programme in the health sector to improve public healthcare and health infrastructure, he said, adding that health sub centres, PHCs, Community Health Centres, area hospitals, district hospitals and teaching hospitals were being upgraded both in terms of infrastructure and equipment as well as additional human resource.
Industrial front
On the industrial front, Andhra Pradesh ranked number one in Ease of Doing Business Survey, which reflected the commitment of the government to provide investor-friendly policies and create conducive business environment, he said.
In 2020-21, despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the State attracted investments worth ₹6,234.64 crore. Focus on skill development helped create job opportunities, he said.
The emphasis on Concept Cities would bring greater private investments into the State, Mr. Tirupathi Raju said, adding that it was a unique and inclusive model of economic development led by the private sector and facilitated by the government.
The collaborative approach would benefit the State in building required urban infrastructure and enhancing standard of people, he said.
