Amid protest from the opposition parties, the Telangana government proposed budget estimates for the financial year 2022-23 with a total expenditure of Rs 2,56,958.51 crore which is about Rs 36,000 crore more than the last year’s budget. Out of this, revenue expenditure is Rs 1,89,274.82 crore and capital expenditure is Rs 29,728.44 crore.
It is the budget session without any speech by Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan and the opposition parties, including BJP and Congress were protesting for not inviting the Governor to address the budget session.
On the motion moved by the government, three BJP legislatures Raja Singh, Eetela Rajender, and Raghunandan Rao were suspended for this session.
The Congress party protested on the Governor’s issue and boycotted the budget speech.
Later, Finance Minister Thanneru Harish Rao proposed the budget estimations in the Assembly. “Telangana has become a front runner in all the sectors in a very short period after the formation of the State. Chief Minister Kalvakuntla Chandrasekhar Rao, who is the very symbol of Telangana, has led the movement and the dream of the formation of the State has become a reality,” Harish Rao said.
The FM allocated Rs 17,700 crore to the flagship programme of the KCR government ‘Dalit Bandhu’ scheme which gives Rs 10 lakh each to the Dalits in the state. The government is already implementing ‘Dalit Bandhu’ and about 11,800 Dalit families were already benefitted from this scheme. This year the government wants to extend this scheme to another two lakh families.
The government allocated Rs 1,000 crore and proposed to establish eight new medical colleges in Asifabad, Bhupalapally, Vikarabad, Siricilla, Janagama, Kamareddy, Karimnagar and Khammam District in 2022 and another eight colleges in Medak, Medchal, Rangareddy, Mulugu, Warangal, Narayanaperta, Gadwal, Yadadri Districts in 2023.
Other allocations and key points in the budget speech:
• Palle Pragati (Rural development) – Rs 330 crore
• Pattana Pragati (Urban development) – Rs 1,394 crore
• Establishment of forest university – Rs 100 crore
• Establishment of Women university – Rs 100 crore
• Agriculture loan waiver – Rs 16,144 crore
• To promote palm oil cultivation in 2.5 lakh acres – Rs 1,000 crore
• Nutritious food in government hospitals – Rs 43.5 crore
• Subsidised food for patient attendants in government hospitals – Rs 38.66 crore
• Sanitation in government hospitals – Rs 338 crore
• Modernisation of mortuaries – Rs 32.5 crore
• To construct four lakh new double bedroom houses in own land and Rs 3 lakh will be given to each beneficiary.
• Agriculture department – Rs 24,254 crore
• Harita Haram (plantation programme) – Rs 932 crore
• Aasara pensions (including new beneficiaries) – Rs 11,728 crore
• Shadi Mubarak and Kalyana Laxmi scheme – Rs 2,750 crore
• Brahmin welfare – Rs 177 crore
• Road repairs, BT road maintenance – Rs 1,542 crore
• Police department – Rs 9,315 crore
• Construction of new Panchayat offices – Rs 600 crore
• Scheduled Tribes development – Rs 12,565 crore
• Backward classes development – Rs 5,698 crore
• Development of other temples on par with the Yadadri temple
• Construction of Regional Ring Road – Rs 500 crore
• Construction of new secretariat – Rs 400 crore
• Insurance of Rs 5 lakh to weavers
• Free hygiene kits to girls in government schools and junior colleges
• Drinking water facility to the municipalities and villages near Hyderbad – Rs 1,200 crore
• Extension of Metro Rail to the old city in Hyderabad- Rs 500 crore
• Metro Rail connectivity to Airport – Rs 500 crore
• Establishment of Kaleswaram tourism circuit – Rs 750 crore
• Strengthening the TSRTC – Rs 1,500 crore
• Incentives to Industries – Rs 2,142 crore and electricity subsidies to industries – Rs 190 crore
• Agriculture loans up to Rs 50,000 will be cleared this year and Rs 75,000 will be waived in the next year
• To develop the schools under ‘Mana Ooru-Mana Badi scheme Rs 7,280 crore and this year the scheme will be implemented in 9,123 schools with Rs 3,497 crore
Apart from the allocations, the government expects Rs 33,000 crore from sales tax, Rs 17,500 crore from the excise department, Rs 15,600 crore from the stamps and registrations.
Meanwhile, the government expects Rs 1,08,211.93 crore as state taxes and Rs 18,394.11 crore from a share in the central taxes.
Borrowings put at Rs 59,632 crore this year and Rs 49,359 crore last year as mentioned below the state share in the central taxes.
The government announced that the total debts of the state are Rs 3,28,998 crore, which is 25 percent of the GSDP.
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