AP Budget 2.79 Lakh Crores: Numbers Magic Once Again!

Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy tabled an annual budget of 2.79 Lakh Crore for the year 2023-24 in the state assembly. This is the last full-fledged budget of the YSR Congress before the 2024 elections.

On paper, the budget looks good with ample allocations for agriculture, education, health, Rural Development, Transport – R&B, SC Corporation, ST corporation, EBC Corporation, Christian Corporation, Kapu Corporation, etc.

The Finance Minister has allocated Rs 54,228 crore for DBT schemes (Freebies).

The minister earmarked 31,061 Crore towards capital expenditure i.e., infrastructure creation.

All these numbers look good on paper but what happens in Andhra Pradesh in the last four years is different.

There is no relation between the revenues and expenditures shown in the budget.

These are mere numbers and the government only runs on bringing loans each and every month.

The revenues are over-estimated to meet the growing expenditures. But the fact remains the state can not get so much revenue and will have to rely on the loans hoodwinking the system and the central government.

Funds earmarked for priority segments like Health, Education, and the well-being of various sections like BCs, SCs, STs, and Kapu Community are being normally diverted to the freebie schemes on one name or the other.

For an instance, in this budget, 9118 Crores have been earmarked for Roads and Buildings. But this amount is not spent on roads in close to four years of Jagan’s rule so far. We can expect what is going to happen in the coming year.