Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu introduced the AP State Budget today in the Andhra Pradesh assembly. As speculated, the budget is clearly in view of the upcoming assembly elections. During his speech, Yanamala stated that ‘Andhra Pradesh has faced discrimination in the hands of Centre. Losing the (unified) AP’s stated capital, Hyderabad and the revenue loss (due to the deficit) has literally crippled the state’. Following are the key excerpts from the 2018 AP Budget:
Budget estimates increased by 21.70% compared to last fiscal year
Allocations for various departments:
| Department | Value (in Crores) |
|---|---|
| Agriculture | 12,352 |
| Irrigation | 16,978.23 |
| Rural Development | 20,815 |
| Fuel Sector | 5,052.54 |
| Industries | 3,074,87 |
| Transportation | 4653 |
| polavaram project | 9000 |
| Farmers Loan Waiver | 4100 |
| Education Sector | 24,185.75 |
| Employment Creation | 902.19 |
| For the Welfare and Backward Classes | 4477 |
| BC Welfare | 12,200 |
| Kapu Welfare | 1000 |
| Medharulu Welfare | 30 |
| Nayi Brahmins Welfare | 30 |
| Vaishya Welfare | 30 |
| Toddy Workers Welfare | 70 |
| Home Ministry | 6226 |
| Tourism Ministry | 290 |
| Drinking Water and Sanitation | 2623 |
| Fibre Grid | 600 |
| Med Tech Zone | 270 |
| Anna Canteen | 200 |
| Startups | 100 |
| NTR Jalasiri | 100 |
| Transgender Welfare | 20 |
This is clearly an ‘Election’ budgetthan a welfare budget.
