Vijayawada: The State government is set to present the budget for the last four months of the financial year 2024-25 (December-March) in the Legislative Assembly on Monday. The Business Advisory Committee (BAC) will decide the duration of the Assembly session. After receiving approval from the State Cabinet on Monday, Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav will present the budget in the Assembly. Sources indicate that the outlay for the full-fledged budget is expected to be between Rs 2.7 lakh crore and Rs 2.9 lakh crore, with a focus on covering expenditures for the final quarter of the current fiscal year.
Allocations for welfare programs and promises made in the election manifesto, including the Super Six guarantees, are likely to be announced. Budgetary provisions will also be made for the Deepam 2.0 scheme, launched on Diwali (October 31). Significant allocations are expected for key infrastructure projects, such as Amaravati and Polavaram, among others.
Ahead of the elections, the previous government, led by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, had introduced a vote-on-account with an outlay of Rs 2.86 lakh crore, with Rs 1,09,052 crore allocated for the period from April to July. An ordinance promulgated on July 31 allowed the TDP-led NDA government to allocate funds for the period from August 1 to November 30, with an outlay of Rs 1.29 lakh crore, covering grants for 40 government departments.
In addition to the budget, key bills are expected to be introduced during the Assembly session, including the Land Grabbing Act (Prohibition) 1982 Repeal Bill, the AP Judicial Preview Act Repeal Bill, and the new Land Grabbing (Prohibition) 2024 Bill. The new land grabbing bill, discussed at length in the recent Cabinet meeting, aims to safeguard lands belonging to rightful owners. The Assembly will also introduce bills to enhance the retirement age of judicial staff to 61 years, repeal the previous government’s Act for government-run liquor shops, and propose a bill on liquor prices and quality parameters. Meanwhile, the YSRC has decided to boycott the session, with party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy opting to address the media on public issues.
