Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government is all set to present the full budget of the state in the second week of November. While the officials of the finance department were busy in the drafting of the budget, the Legislative Affairs and Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav is engaged in finalizing the dates of the budget meetings.
Legislative Assembly Speaker Ayyannapatra is in consultation with Finance Department officials. Exact date is to be finalised in the cabinet meeting to be held on November 6. The Budget is likely to be presented on November 12. In view of the elections in the state, the Jaganmohan Reddy government presented the Vote on Account account budget in the month of February for a total out-lay of Rs 2.86 lakh crore.
The approval of the legislature was taken for Rs.1,09,052.34 crore under a total of 40 grants for the period of four months from April to July 31, 2024. Though after the formation of his government Chandrababu Naidu was expected to present his budget in July, his government also opted for another vote on account budget, in view of the poor financial situation of the state and the confusion over debts.
The second interim budget under 40 grants with Rs 1,29,972.97 crore for state government expenses and other activities from August to November was approved by the Governor. In this way, the entire period of 8 months has passed with a vote on account budget.
In this context, the full budget should be introduced in the second week of November and approved by the legislature. In the elections, the NDA alliance promised to implement massive welfare schemes for the people in the name of Super Six. As a part of this, the amount of old age and other pensions has been increased and implemented as soon as the government was formed.
The Finance Department is working on the implementation of the rest of the welfare schemes. It is reported that officials have calculated that the cost of the welfare schemes implemented by Jagan’s government will cost up to Rs.20,000 crores more. The guarantee of free gas cylinders is also going to be implemented from November. The budget outlines how the scheme will be implemented in the next four months.