Hyderabad, Feb 7 (KNN) The Telangana Finance Minister T Harish Rao on Monday introduced the State Budget in the Assembly with any expenditure outlay of Rs 2,90,396 crore for 2023-24.

The Telangana Budget 2023-34 focused primarily on public welfare and Infrastructural development.

The Public welfare schemes got the lion’s share of the allocation in the tax-free budget with Rs 17,700 crore set aside for the implementation of Dalita Bandhu, a unique scheme extending Rs 10 lakh as financial assistance to each Dalit family without any collateral.

A sum of Rs 7,890 crore has been allocated for the construction of double bed-room houses for the poor and Rs 15,075 crore for Rythu Bandhu.

“Both in welfare and development, Telangana is a role model for the entire country. We can rightfully claim that whatever is being implemented in Telangana is being followed by the entire country. ‘Telangana Model’, which combines humanitarian approach, constructive thinking, futuristic planning and transparent administration, is getting accolades, both nationally and internationally,” he said.

In the budget, the state government has also allocated Rs 36,750 crore towards the Special Development Fund for Scheduled Castes. The government also proposed Rs 15,233 crore towards Special Development Fund for Scheduled Tribes.

It proposed Rs 2,200 crore for the welfare of minorities and Rs 6,229 crore for the welfare of backward communities. Towards the government’s flagship schemes Kalyana Lakshmi and Shadi Mubarak, it proposed to spend Rs 3,210 crore. An amount of Rs 12,000 crore is proposed towards payment of pensions.

For farmers’ debt waiver, Rs 6,385.20 crore has been set aside, while Rs 1,589.44 has been allocated for insurance to farmers. From the Rs 7,890 crores set aside for the construction of double bedroom houses, 2,000 poor beneficiaries in each of the 119 constituencies in the state would receive houses.

Rao proposed an outlay of Rs 31,426 crore for the Panchayati Raj department; Rs 26,885 crore for the irrigation sector; Rs 26,831 crore for the agriculture and cooperation department; and Rs 19,093 crore for the education sector, which includes Rs 3,001 crore for the higher education department. Further, a sum of Rs 12,727 crore is proposed to be spent on the power sector. The medical and health sector received Rs 12,161 crore.

For the repair and maintenance of roads, Rs 2,500 crore has been allocated. The state proposed to spend Rs 1,000 crore towards promoting oil palm cultivation and, for the first time, to spend Rs 500 crore towards providing basic amenities such as the modernisation of hostels and construction of new university buildings across the state.

The Hyderabad Metro Rail project received Rs 1,500 crore, besides Rs 500 crore towards connectivity to the old city and another Rs 500 crore for the proposed Airport Metro.

Discussions on the budget will begin on February and conclude on February 12.  (KNN Bureau)