Andhra Pradesh State Budget 2012-13

HYDERABAD: The AP state budget for 2012-13,presented in the Assembly by finance minister Anam Ramnarayana Reddy Friday, projected an outlay of Rs 1.45 lakh crore. But with the national growth rate being pegged down to 6.9 per cent and drought reigning over more than 800 mandals in the state, indications are monies will be hard to come by.

This follows the pattern set in the 2011-12 budget, also presented by Ramnarayan Reddy. It aimed at an outlay of Rs 1.28 lakh crore but the revised estimates presented on Friday showed that only about `1.22 lakh crore was managed. Of the projected outlay of Rs 1,45,854 crore, the budget apportions Rs 91,824 crore to non-plan expenditure and Rs 54,030 crore to plan.

The fiscal deficit in Budget 2012-13 is expected to be Rs 20,008 crore, or 2.45 per cent of GSDP. Revenue surplus will be Rs 4,444 crore.

Speaking in the assembly, the finance minister said that the growth rate of the state is greater than that of the country. He said that the growth rate has increased to 9.26% during 2005-2011, while it was 8.5% at national level. The budget is prepared at Rs. 1.45 lakh crores.

Highlights

Here are some of the highlights of the budget.

• State growth rate better than at the centre
• State government requests Rs. 3500 crore from the centre for drought support
• State to receive Rs. 246 crore from the centre in national disaster quota
• Rice sold at Rs. 1 per kilo to poor families
• Schemes to provide employment 15 lakh jobs for youth in private sector
• 1 lakh government jobs to the unemployed
• Interest waived to the tune of Rs. 1075 crore for agricultural self help groups
• 15 lakh jobs to be created by 2014 under the Rajiv Vidhya Mission scheme
• 10 lakh agricultural loans to self help groups
• 25 paisa interest scheme for agricultural loans which are over Rs. 1 lakh
• 1 lakh bores to be digged under the Indira Jala Prabha scheme
• 50 lakh utilized various schemes in the Rachabanda – II programme
• Rs. 25 crore to be allotted for rehabilitation in coastal areas
• Schemes to be introduced to develop roads in rural areas
• Rs. 600 crore funds allocated for rural area development
• Rs. 200 crore allocated for Panchayat Raj
• Rs. 300 crore to small scale irrigation department
• Rs. 100 crore to roads and buildings department
• Interest waived for up to Rs. 1 lakh to farmers who repay regularly
• Rs. 2572 crore allocated to the agricultural sector
• Andhra Pradesh stands at second position in production of meat and eggs
• Rs. 50 crore allocated to prevent diseases for animals
• Subsidy to poor farmers for animal husbandry
• Government to provide 42 lakh animals to poor farmers
• Rs. 234 crore allocated for insurance to fishermen
• 1,04,232 provided with employment under Rajiv Yuva Kiranalu
• Stri Nidhi funds for self help groups

While delivering the budget speech, the minister fell unconscious. He is getting treated by the doctors in the assembly premises. Ponnala Lakshmaiah took over and has continued the budget speech.