Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 was tabled on Friday by the TDP-led NDA government, with Chief Minister N Chan-drababu Naidu describing it as a development-oriented budget that will lay the foundation for the Swarnandhra 2047 vision.

According to Naidu, this budget will be a gamechanger for the state, fo-cusing on six key welfare promises, collectively known as the "Super Six" schemes. One of the flagship initiatives, "Talliki Vandanam," aims to sup-port school-going children up to the intermediate level, providing Rs 15,000 per year.

Additionally, farmers will receive an annual financial aid of Rs 20,000 un-der the "Annadata Sukhibhava" scheme, and financial relief for fishermen will be doubled. These Super Six schemes are set to be launched from May 1, ensuring direct benefits to various sections of society.

Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav, who presented the Rs 3.22 lakh crore budget, highlighted major allocations for different social groups. The Scheduled Caste (SC) component was Rs 20,281 crore, while the Sched-uled Tribes (ST) component Rs 8,159 crore, the Backward Classes (BC) component Rs 47,456 crore, and Rs 5,434 crore was designated for the welfare of minority communities. Keshav emphasised that "Talliki Vandanam" will benefit children enrolled in both government and private schools from Classes I to XII. He assured that despite financial challenges, the government remains committed to supporting farmers with the promised Rs 20,000 per annum. Other Super Six schemes include a Rs 1,500 monthly financial aid for every woman aged 19 to 59 years, the creation of 20 lakh jobs for youth or a Rs 3,000 monthly unemployment allowance, and free bus travel for women across the state. A key highlight of the budget is the government plan to introduce insurance-based health coverage of Rs 25 lakh per fam-ily in the next fiscal year.

The overall budget of Rs 3.22 lakh crore comprises an estimated revenue expenditure of Rs 2.51 lakh crore and a capital expenditure of Rs 40,635 crore. The estimated revenue deficit stands at Rs 33,185 crore (1.82% of the Gross State Domestic Product), while the fiscal deficit is projected to be Rs 79,926 crore (4.38% of GSDP).

Sector-wise allocations include Rs 31,805 crore for school education, Rs 19,264 crore for the Health, Medical, and Family Welfare Department, and Rs 18,847 crore for the Panchayati Raj and Rural Development De-partment, headed by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan. The Munici-pal Administration and Urban Development Department received Rs 13,862 crore, with Keshav affirming that Amaravati's greenfield capital city development will be self-financed through funding from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and HUDCO, without burdening the state budget.

Additionally, Rs 13,600 crore was earmarked for the Energy Department, supporting the state's goal of becoming a green hydrogen hub. Other major allocations include Rs 8,785 crore for the Department of Transport, Roads, and Buildings, Rs 8,570 crore for the Home Department, and Rs 2,601 crore for the "Deepam-2" scheme, which provides three free LPG cylinders per year to over 90 lakh eligible beneficiaries.

Keshav criticized the previous YSRCP government, blaming it for financial mismanagement and chaos in every department. He asserted that under Chandrababu Naidu’s leadership, Andhra Pradesh is embarking on a new era of governance focused on fostering a prosperous, happy, and healthy society.