Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav a Budget with an outlay of ₹2.94 lakh crore, focus on welfare schemes and infra development.
Published Nov 12, 2024 | 8:00 AM ⚊ Updated Nov 12, 2024 | 8:00 AM
Andhra Pradesh Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav presenting the Budget for the Financial Year 2024-25.
Even as the financial year 2024-25 is drawing to an end, the Andhra Pradesh government presented a Budget with an outlay of ₹2.94 lakh crore on Monday, 11 November.
With a capital expenditure of over ₹32,700 crore, the Budget has put a renewed focus on welfare schemes. Presenting the Budget in the state Assembly, Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav announced numerous infrastructure projects.
The primary focus, however, was on the Amaravati capital region.
Keshav earmarked ₹11,490 crore for the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department for the Financial Year 2024-25.
Envisioning Amaravati as a global destination of people, investments, and jobs,’ the minister reported securing ₹15,000 crore from multilateral funding agencies through the Union government. He stated that the NDA regime was planning to make Amaravati, a liveable, efficient, and sustainable ‘green’ and ‘blue’ city.
Keshav said the government would focus on developing cities like Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Vijayawada, Guntur, Tirupati, and Kurnool among others. He also informed the House of the plans to prepare a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based masterplans for Class II towns.
He explained the Class II towns as those with a population ranging between 50,000 and 99,999. The Atal Mission for Rejuvenation and Urban Transformation (AMRUT) 2.0 scheme was facilitating a water supply revamp in urban areas. Under the national scheme, there was universal coverage for safe water supply, rejuvenation of water bodies, reusing treated water, and rainwater harvesting.
The finance minister said Andhra Pradesh was aiming at achieving service-level benchmarks for urban infrastructure and essential services in all urban areas under the scheme.
Keshav said that the Under the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department had completed 1,575 works, connecting 2,134 habitations across 2,855 kilometres. Additionally, he unveiled plans to complete an additional 164 road and bridge works statewide for the financial year 2024-25.
The Budget proposed ₹16,739 crore for the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department headed by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. However, this was not the only allocation to improve road connectivity.
Keshava reiterated the government’s resolve for a pothole-free Andhra Pradesh. Hoping to achieve the target by Sankranti in mid-January, he also announced integrating the state’s road infrastructure with the Union government’s Gati Shakthi national grid.
Additionally, the minister announced plans to develop multiple six-lane, four-lane, and double-lane roads statewide connecting about 3,374 kilometres.
The roads included numerous six-lane National Highway projects such as the Bengaluru-Kadapa-Vijayawada and Raipur-Visakhapatnam stretch. Additionally, it would also include the Chittoor-Thatchur, Renigunta-Naidupeta, Naidupeta-Turpu Kanpur, and the Vijayawada Western Bypass stretches. The six-lane National Highway projects have been estimated to stretch to 687 kilometres.
Furthermore, the government proposed developing 165 kilometres of the four-lane Hyderabad-Visakhapatnam-Bengaluru-Chennai National Highway.
Rural connectivity took the lion’s share of the projects. Apart from the Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Department’s undertakings, 2,522 kilometres would be developed in rural areas, Keshav announced. This development will be under the Mandal Connectivity and Rural Connectivity Improvement Project and the Andhra Pradesh Roads and Bridges Reconstruction Project.
In association with the New Development Bank (formerly BRICS bank), the government would connect district headquarters with all corresponding Mandal headquarters. Additionally, double-lane roads would connect all Mandal headquarters. Keshav said the government had already released ₹600 crore for these works.
The finance minister said the government was striving to achieve its goal of ‘Housing for All’ by 2029. Under the plan, 25 lakh houses or land endowments would be provided to the Economically Weaker Sections (EWSs) under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) and NTR Nagar schemes.
Keshav reiterated that apart from being an EWS welfare scheme it would also boost Andhra Pradesh’s economy.
He proposed to complete 6.9 lakh houses in urban areas and 1.79 lakh houses in rural areas under PMAY. Additionally, he proposed completing over 15,000 houses under the PM JANMAN scheme for vulnerable tribal groups. He proposed allocating ₹4,012 crore for the Housing Department.
Keshav said the government was aiming to complete all the ongoing irrigation projects, including the Chintalapudi Lift Irrigation Scheme, BRR Vamsadhara Project Phase II of Stage II, Poola Subbaiah Veligonda Project, and Handri Niva Sujala Sravanti Project.
He reiterated that completing the Polavaram Project was of utmost importance to the government, and blamed the previous YSRCP government’s incompetence for the delays.
Additionally, the government would undertake the Bhavanasi Tank Conversion project and the Mahendratanaya Offshore project. The Godavari-Penna and Nagavali-Vamsadhara rivers would be interlinked to ensure water security. He proposed an allocation of ₹16,705 crore for the Water Resources Department.
Detailing the initiatives of the Higher Education Department, Keshav revealed a plan to establish three new Knowledge Centres. The proposed Knowledge Centres would come up at Amaravati, the state’s capital, Tirupati, and Visakhapatnam.
An allocation of ₹2,326 crore has been made for the Department of Higher Education.
Keshav also proposed to ‘improve’ medical infrastructure right from the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to general hospitals. The minister allocated ₹18,421 crore to the Health, Medical and Family Welfare Department.
The minister also announced the government’s plan to set up 203 Anna Canteens under the Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department. The canteens would provide food at subsidised rates in 123 local body limits. Additionally, 158 Anna Canteens would be set up in rural areas.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
