HYDERABAD: The
Telangana budget
is likely to be presented in the state assembly on March 2, a day after the bud get session commences.
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According to the
finance department sources
, the second and final phase of the budget exercise will start on February 12 or 13 and be completed by 18. During this period, chief minister
K Chandrasekhar Rao
will interact with principal secretaries and heads of departments to
finalise the allocations
.
Finance minister Etala Rajender and principal finance secretary K Ramakrishna Rao will assist the chief minister in the exercise. The finance department has decided to earmark a big chunk of funds in the budget to the irrigation and road sectors in order to to give a boost to growth in rural areas. As per initial indications, the irrigation department will be allocated over Rs 27,000 crore in the budget as the chief minister is keen on kick-starting the Kaleswaram project along with the second phase of Devadula, Palamuru Rangareddy lift irrigation, Dindi project, Mid Manair and Sitaramadas projects. The irrigation department has already submitted a detailed note seeking Rs 30,000 crore for these key projects in the ensuing fiscal.All the priority projects identified by the department will be granted huge amounts in the budget, the sources said.
Similarly, the roads and infrastructure department is slated to receive higher funding compared to what it got in the current fiscal. Funds for laying more than 800 km-long national highway roads as well as regional ring road projects will be earmarked in the budget. From the Rs 3,334 crore budgetary allocation in the current year, the department is expected to see a major jump in the allocations.Welfare schemes such as old age pensions, scholarships, marriage allowance to SC, BC and minorities, free health under Arogyasri programs are also slated to recieve more funds.
Mission Bhagiratha is expected to get more than Rs 25,000 crore allocation and funds for about two lakh double bedroom houses will be alloted in the 2017-18 budget.
The total expenditure in 2016-17 was fixed at Rs 1,30,416 crore. Of this, till January 2017, the state government has spent little over Rs 85,000 crore. In all probability , the target for spending is set to get a miss as demonetisation of high-value currency and lack of revenue from the real estate sector has adversely impacted the exchequer.