The State budget for 2022-2023 was aimed at inclusive growth and development of all sections of society, and to strike a balance between welfare and development, Minister of Finance Buggana Rajendranath Reddy has said.
The Minister was giving a detailed statement at the end of the two-day discussion on the general budget, drawing a comparison between the allocations made during the TDP term and the YSRCP government. The total outlay of the budget was pegged at ₹2.56 lakh crore.
Our government had ensured that ₹1.75 lakh crore was directly credited into the accounts of the beneficiaries through the numerous DBT and Non-DBT schemes between June 2019 and February 2022, out of which ₹29,720 crore was given to the education sector alone, he said.
“We have been able to achieve this in spite of the debilitating impact of two successive years of the COVID-19 pandemic, while maintaining a steady growth rate,’’ said Mr. Rajendranath Reddy.
Stating that the total outlay for 2022-23 was ₹2.56 lakh crore, Mr. Rajendranath Reddy said prudent financial management and robust growth in the Agriculture, Industries and Services sectors had helped the State stay afloat during the turbulent times.
The pandemic had a devastating effect across the world, and our State revenues too had taken a hit. The revenue in 2018-19 was ₹58,037 crore. While the expected revenue in the year 2019-2020 was ₹65,928 crore, the actual realisation was ₹57,837 crore. In 2020-21, the revenue slipped further to ₹57,427 crore against the expected revenue of ₹74,893 crore. In the year 2021-22, against the expected revenue of ₹85,740 crore, the actual revenue generated was ₹73,629 crore, the Finance Minister said.
Despite all odds, Andhra Pradesh was one of the better performing States in the country. We had to spend a lot of money during the two waves of the pandemic, and we managed to keep the mortality rate at a minimum of 0.67%, he said.
The Finance Minister said Industries, Agriculture and Services sectors registered a robust growth rate of 25.58%, 14.5% and 18.91% respectively, and these figures serve as a fitting answer to those propagating that the industrial atmosphere in the State was not conducive.
NITI Aayog’s pat
“Our financial management with focus on welfarism has been appreciated by NITI Aayog. The allocations to various schemes have ensured that people are out of poverty during distress,” said the Minister.
In spite of financial stress, the State government had kept its word on Pay Revision Commission and granted 27% Interim Relief entailing an additional expenditure of ₹17,918 crore. Salaries of anganwadi workers, MNOs, sanitation workers had also been increased considerably, he said.
On loans and borrowings, Mr. Rajendranath said the government had a debt of ₹94,000 crore, out of which ₹62,200 crore was ways and means advances and ₹12,728 crore was included in the public accounts.
The Finance Minister said the TDP government had never spent the actual amounts allocated for various sectors, while there was no clarity on ₹81,000 crore spent in the 2019-2020 vote-on-account.
Out of the present budgetary outlay of ₹2.56 lakh crore, ₹76,590 crore would be the estimated spending on salaries, ₹48,000 crore on DBT schemes, ₹56,000 crore on flagship schemes, and ₹48,000 crore on centrally-sponsored schemes, he said.
