Rs 42,000 cr allocated to AP in Union Budget-2023: Minister Devusinh Jesingbhai Chauhan
Union Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan speaking to the media in Kurnool on Sunday. Former Rajya Sabha MP T G Venkatesh and others are seen.
Kurnool: Union Minister of State for Communications Devusinh Chauhan said that the BJP-led NDA government has made huge allocations to Andhra Pradesh in the Union Budget-2023.
Never before such large allocations were made to the State, he pointed out. The Modi government has allocated an unbelievable sum of R 42,000 crore to the State for the financial year 2023-24.
Addressing the mediapersons here on Sunday, he said never in the history of the State such a large allocation was made in the annual Budget by the Union government. The previous UPA regime has only made meagre allocations to the State, he said.
The NDA government has allocated Rs 683 crore to the Vizag Steel Plant. A sum of Rs 6,835 crore was allocated to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Mangalagiri. The Centre has allocated Rs 8,406 crore for Railways in the State. As of now 32 projects are underway in Andhra Pradesh. He said national highway expansion works were being taken up at a cost of Rs 65,000 crore in the State.
Giving details of the budgetary provisions for railway projects, he said a sum of Rs 446 crore was intended for Vizag, Rs 1,003 crore for Nellore and Rs 312 crore for Tirupati. Besides, it has also been proposed to launch 'One station one product' scheme at all major railway stations.
An NTPC centre and new green energy projects have been proposed in Anakapalli at a cost of Rs 1.01 lakh crore.
Former Rajya Sabha MP TG Venkatesh said that the Centre has constructed lakhs of houses. If the State government hands them over to the beneficiaries, the Central government will allocate more houses. The Centre was allocating huge amounts of funds for projects related to water resources, roads, railways and others but the State government instead of utilising the funds for development works, it was diverting them to pay the salaries to employees, he alleged.
He lambasted the State government for not properly utilising the funds sanctioned by the Centre and instead bringing the Special Category Status (SCS) issue to fore. More funds were being sanctioned than that the State can get under SCS, he pointed out.