Andhra Pradesh government presented a budget of Rs 3.22 lakh crore. Image: PTI
Amravati, February 28 (Language) The coalition government of Andhra Pradesh presented a budget focused on welfare schemes for FY 2025-26 on Friday. This includes proposals to give farmers Rs 20,000 annually, double fishermen’s financial relief and give Rs 15,000 to children up to class 12.
Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav presented a total budget of Rs 3.22 lakh crore for FY 2025-26 in the Assembly. In this, Rs 20,281 crore has been proposed for Scheduled Castes (SC) category, Rs 8,159 crore for Scheduled Tribes (ST) category, Rs 47,456 crore for Backward Class (BC) and Rs 5,434 crore for minority communities.
‘Taliki Vandanam’ scheme started
Keshav said, “I am proud to announce that the government is launching the ‘Taliki Vandanam’ scheme to provide financial assistance of Rs 15,000 in the academic session 2025-26. Both government and private schools will have children from class one to 12th under the purview of this scheme. ” He said, “Whether we are in any financial situation, our farmers will get Rs 20,000 annually under the ‘Annadata Sukhabhav Yojana’.”
Women promise free bus travel
The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) -led coalition promised to provide a monthly assistance of Rs 1,500 to women aged 19 to 59 years under the ‘Super Six’ schemes declared before the 2024 assembly elections, Rs 20 lakh jobs for youth or Rs 3,000 monthly unemployment assistance and free bus travel for women. Under Super Six, every school going child was also asked to give Rs 15,000 (Taliki Vandanam) per year, three free gas cylinders (Deepam-2) to each house and Rs 20,000 to each farmer annually Rs 20,000.
Financial relief for fishermen doubles
Keshav also announced to double the financial relief for fishermen to Rs 20,000 during the period of ban on fishing. He said that the state government is planning to implement insurance-based health coverage of Rs 25 lakh per family in the next financial year. This budget includes an estimated revenue expenditure of Rs 2.51 lakh crore and capital expenditure of Rs 40,635 crore.
While presenting the budget, the Finance Minister said that the estimated revenue deficit is around Rs 33,185 crore and the fiscal deficit is around Rs 79,926 crore. In the budget, an allocation of Rs 31,805 crore has been made for school education and Rs 19,264 crore for the Department of Health, Medical and Family Welfare. Panchayati Raj and Rural Development Department, present with Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan, have received Rs 18,847 crore. At the same time, Rs 13,862 crore has been allocated to the city administration and urban development department.
Along with this, Rs 2,601 crore was allocated for Deepam-2 scheme. Under this scheme, more than 90 lakh eligible beneficiaries are given three free gas cylinders per year. The Finance Minister said in his speech that the government is presenting this budget in the background of the “financial destruction” made by the previous government. He said, “This has been a very complex task, because the previous government created financial chaos in every department.” Later, the Agriculture Minister’s Achhen Naidu presented an agricultural budget of Rs 48,341 crore.
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