Etela presents welfare budget with outlay of Rs.1.49 lakh crore

The Telangana Rashtra Samithi government’s unflinching commitment towards the welfare and development of the weaker sections manifested in the State Budget on Monday when Finance Minister Etela Rajender revealed huge allocations totally amounting to over Rs 40,000 crore of the total outlay of Rs 1,49,646 crore for Backward Classes, Schedule Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Minorities, Most Backward Classes and other underprivileged sections.

As promised, the Finance Minister presented in the State Assembly a welfare-oriented but balanced Budget estimates for 2017-18 without losing sight of developmental programmes. The allocations for BCs, SCs, STs, MBCs and Minorities alone accounted for Rs 29,859 crore, garnering a fifth of the total outlay. Other significant allocations were for fee reimbursement to students, weavers, washer-men, Nayi Brahmins, women and child welfare and Aasara pension scheme, among others.

The Finance Minister presented a Rs 4,471.30 crore revenue surplus, welfare-oriented budget with the committed expenditure from the budget outlay pegged at Rs 61,607.20 crore while expenditure under ‘Pragati Paddu’ (expenditure on schemes) is Rs 88,038.80 crore.The Finance Minister, pointing out that the expenditure proposed for schemes was higher than the committed expenditure, said this was mainly possible because of rationalisation of expenditure and efforts to mobilise additional resources. The budget, which clearly reflected the government’s commitment towards welfare of the deprived and weaker sections, indicated a fiscal deficit of Rs 26,096.31 crore.

Rajender said the budget bears the imprint of Chief Minister K Chandrashekhar Rao and his vision of achieving ‘Bangaru Telangana’ (Golden



Telangana) in the shortest possible time, besides reflecting his concern for the welfare of the poor, creation of income generating avenues and generating employment opportunities. “After 58 dark years, the people of Telangana believed that they would see a bright future in their own State. There were a number of uncertainties when the State was formed in June, 2014, and it was a mammoth task taking stock of resource position and putting administrative machinery on track,” he said, adding that the government now had a complete grasp of the State’s economy and was on the path to provide permanent solutions to the distress faced by the poor.

Stating that there was a distinct upward shift in the growth trajectory of the State year on year since its formation, the Finance Minister said the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at constant prices in 2016-17 is likely to be in double digits at 10.1 per cent as compared to the expected national GDP growth of 7.1 per cent. “It is a matter of immense satisfaction that the State could achieve double-digit growth despite the adverse impact of demonetisation on economic activities, he said.

Release of the last installment towards waiver of farm loan, allocation of Rs 25,000 crore to the irrigation sector, procuring and distributing 84 lakh sheep at subsidised rates to Yadava families in State, increasing the amount disbursed to beneficiaries under Kalyana Lakshmi and Shaadi Mubarak from Rs 51,000 to Rs 75,116, allocation of Rs 14,375 crore and Rs 8,165 crore under Special Development Funds towards welfare of Schedule Castes and Scheduled Tribes respectively and allocation of Rs 1,249 crore for minorities welfare are some of the highlights of the State Budget.