Telangana Budget 2016-17
Telangana's Finance Minister Etela Rajender

Bangalore: Telangana’s Finance Minister Etela Rajender on Monday (Mar 14) presented the state budget in the assembly, proposing an expenditure of Rs.1,30,415 crore for the financial year 2016-17.

This includes a plan expenditure of Rs 67,630 crore and non-plan outlay of Rs 62,785 crore.

The latest budget of newly formed Telangana has an outlay of Rs. 1,30,415 crore for the financial year 2016-17 compared to Rs. 1,15,000 crore of last year. The bulk of capital allocations are towards irrigation, urban development and roads. The state’s fiscal deficit of Rs. 23,467 crore is reasonable at 3.5% of GSDP.

Positives:

  1. In a thrust to boost the irrigation sector, the budget proposed Rs. 25,000 crore for irrigation projects and Mission Kakatiya (revival of water bodies).
  2. An amount of Rs. 6,759 crore has been set aside for Agriculture and Cooperation and Marketing departments.
  3. The state’s own revenue receipts are projected at Rs. 72,412 crore in 2016-17 as compared with Rs. 54,256 crore in revised estimates (RE) 2015-16.
  4. The State has recorded one of the highest per capita incomes in the country. As against the national average of Rs. 93,231, the per capita income in the State is Rs. 1,43,023 in 2015-16. The higher per capita is due to relatively higher proportion of urban population.
  5. The Non-Plan Expenditure is Rs. 62,785 crore is less than the Plan Expenditure at Rs. 67,630 crore.

Neutral:

  1. The total provision proposed for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development is Rs. 10,731 crore, including the provision for MGNREGS.
  2. The provision proposed for roads and bridges is Rs. 3,333 crore and that for building is Rs. 457 crore.
  3. It has earmarked Rs. 4,693 crore for Aasara (social security) pensions, Rs. 1,553 crore for women and child welfare, Rs. 1,204 crore for welfare of minorities, Rs. 738 crore for Kalyan Lakshmi (scheme that provides financial help to poor at the time of marriage), Rs. 2,538 crore for welfare of backward classes and Rs. 3,752 crore for tribal welfare.

Negatives:

As per the budget, farm loan waiver amounting to Rs. 17,000 crore is being implemented, which will put additional stress on the state fiscal position.

Telangana’s Finance Minister Etela Rajender

RELATED ARTICLESMORE FROM AUTHOR