AP Budget 2019-20 Highlights and Analysis

Amaravati: On the directions of Speaker Tammineni Sitharam, AP finance minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy begins presenting his maiden budget 2019-20 in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly at 12.22 pm

Revenue deficit has been put at Rs 1778.52 crore and fiscal deficit at Rs 35,280 crore

Revenue expenditure has been put at Rs 1,80,475 crore, capital expenditure at Rs 32,293.39 crore

Rs 11,399 crore has been allocated to health sector

Rs 3,617 crore has been allocated to housing department

Rs 32,618 crore has been allocated for education department and Rs 77.67 crore for cultural affairs department

15,061 crores has been set aside for BC Sub-plan and Rs 6,157 crore has been given to transport department

14,142 crores has been allocated to welfare department

2,234 crores has been allocated for drinking water corporation

6,891 crores has been allocated to Energy department

1000 crores has been set aside for bailing out of APSRTC

6,455 crores has been set aside for prestigious Amma Vodi scheme, about 43 lakh mothers to get benefit from the scheme

1500 crores has been allocated for improvement of infrastructure in government schools and 1500 crores for improvement of infrastructure in hospitals

475 crores has been allocated for providing power to aqua farmers at subsidised prices

Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy says Andhra Pradesh is the first stste to set up market stabilisation fund

4,525 crores has been allocated for providing 9 hour free electricity to agriculture security

404 crores has been allocated for YSR Fasal Bhima Yojana

300 crores set aside for BC Kalyana Kanuka

3000 cores has been alloted for market stabilisation fund and 2000 crore for calamity assistance fund

2,000 crores has been set aside for Kapu welfare

700 crores has been allocated to village secretariats

648 crores has been set aside for urban self-help group loans

YSR Rythu Bharosa to be extended to all tenant farmers in Andhra Pradesh

260 crores has been allocated for Andhra road development corporation

2133.62 towards welfare of the disabled

1140 crores for zero interest to DWCRA groups

15000 crores for upliftment for Dalits

4988 crores for upliftment of tribals

1561 crores for alleviation of BC groups

Under YSR housing scheme 5000 crores

Rs 11399 crores allocated to the health sector

Rs 1500 crores for basic infrastructure facilities in schools

12801 crores for pensions to the elderly

Midday meal scheme gets 1077 crores

Rs 32618 crores set aside for education sector

Rs 6860 crores allocated for power sector

Housing sector assigned 3617 crores

Subsidy of 475 crores for Aqua farmers

1163 crores for YSR crop insurance

Rs 200 crores allocated for free borewells to farmers

Rs 200 crores for the supply of seeds to farmers

Rs. 20,677 crore allocated towards sectors allied to agriculture

Rs.29,329 cr allocated to rural development

Rs 3000 assigned towards price stabilisation fund

Rs 2002 crores allocated towards calamity relief fund

Rs 4525 crores allocated towards free electricity for nine hours to farmers during day time

Rs 8750 crores allocated towards Rythu Bharosa

Rs. 20,677 crore allocated towards sectors allied to agriculture

Rs.29,329 cr allocated to rural development

YSRCP will provide corruption free governance. There will be total transparency in the award of contracts

In spite of the TDP government’s claims of double digit growth, farmers continued to suffer on unprecedented scale over the last five years.

Irrigation projects in North Andhra will be completed

Navaratnalu will form the basis of development of the state

The demand for special category status to the state will be taken up aggressively with the centre

Welfare schemes will cover all sections of society regardless of caste, creed and party affiliations

The government aims to divert Godavari waters to Srisailam

All commitments and promises made in the manifesto will be fulfilled

The YSRCP government aims to fulfill the aspirations of all segments of society including the weakest of the weak.

The budget is in line with the vision of YSR congress Party.

Every village will get drinking water

Buggana thanks chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for providing him an opportunity to present the buget

Andhra Pradesh chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy slammed leader of the opposition Chandrababu Naidu for making incorrect claims on zero interest loans to farmers. He likened Chandrababu Naidu’s claim of having cleared farmers’ loans to a person borrowing Rs. 1,00,000, repaying Rs. 5,000 and then claiming that the entire loan amount had been repaid. YS Jagan said that the people of the state had already taught the TDP a clear lesson and they would be taught a clearer lesson in the next elections.

The chief minister further said that while he was responding as leader of the house, he was constantly being interrupted by the TDP members and provoked by them.

Referring DWCRA self-help groups’ arrears, YS Jagan said that when they were not cleared, how could they be deemed to have been paid. An amount of Rs. 87, 612 crores stood as outstanding dues towards agricultural advances when Chandrababu Naidu assumed office in 2014. Only Rs. 15, 000 crores were paid to towards agricultural loans, YS Jagan pointed out.

Chandragiri YSRCP MLA Chevireddy Bhasker Reddy recalled that as ruling party, the TDP had not allowed discussion on any pressing issue in the previous assembly. While the YSRCP members maintained restraint when the leader of the opposition was speaking, the TDP legislators were constantly provoking them, he said.

YSRCP Chief Whip Gadikota Srikanth Reddy faulted the TDP members' behaviour for interrupting the chief minister's address.

Senior ruling party leader, Ambati Rambabu observed that the opposition should also cooperate to ensure the smooth functioning of the house. He reminded the TDP benches that they were 151 members on the ruling party side, and that if the 23 TDP members continued to interrupt, running the house will become a difficult affair. The Speaker had already pointed out that when the chief minister or the leader of opposition was on his feet, it was the duty of all members in House to remain seated and listen to them attentively.

The AP chief minister flayed Opposition leader and TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu for claiming that agricultural loans had been paid even though they had remained largely unpaid. The TDP chief made tall claims on this count, he said. YS Jagan pointed out that by the end of 2014-15, an amount of Rs. 29,659 crores had been pending.

The banks would have advanced loans to farmers only after the interest amount on loans amounting to Rs.118 crore would be cleared, YS Jagan said. However, the Chandrababu government paid only Rs. 43.31 crores, he added.

By the end of 2015-16, the arrears had accumulated to Rs. 2,283 crores, the chief minister said. The TDP government had cleared only Rs. 31 crore. In 2016-17, Rs.2,354 crores remained to be paid, while the TDP government cleared only loans amounting to Rs. 249 crores.`In 2017-18, while Rs. 2,703 crores of arrears had to be cleared, the Chandrababu government paid only Rs. 182 crores, he recalled. As for 2018-19, the TDP government paid only Rs. 122 crores of the Rs. 3,069 crores which were pending, he said.

Senior YSRCP MLA from Sattenapalli Ambati Rambabu criticized Chandrababu Naidu for prolonging the discussion and repeteadly claiming that the TDP government had fulfilled its promise to farmers on loans. He said Chandrababu's statement was like someone stripping a man of all his clothes and giving him a loin cloth to cover himself. Chandrababu gave a loin cloth to the farmers of Andhra Pradesh after promising them new clothes and stripping them of what they had, he said as laughter erupted in the treasury benches. The TDP chief later went trumpeting that he had given them a loin cloth over and over again, Rambabu said.

Also Read: YS Jagan Tears Into Chandrababu On Zero Interest Loans

Watch Video as it happens: LIVE: AP Budget 2019-20