Rules don’t allow Telangana to have separate budget for agriculture

Hyderabad: The Telangana government has withdrawn its decision to introduce separate budget for agriculture in 2018-19 budget proposals to be introduced in the budget session of the Assembly which would commence during second week of March.

Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao reviewed the issues pertaining to the introduction of the state budget and having a separate budget for agriculture with the officials and ministers at his official residence Pragati Bhavan here on Monday. 

The officials informed the Chief Minister that the entire state budget should be one and only one and the Constitution guidelines will not allow to have separate budgets for departments. 

Under Rule 150 of the Legislative guidelines, receipts and expenditure are only treated as budget. Other plans, programmes and schemes would come under the Bills and as such they cannot be treated as separate budget.

The official recalled how the united Andhra Pradesh had withdrawn the proposal to introduce a separate budget for agriculture as it turned into a big controversy. The CM was also reminded that at the Centre too, the Railway Budget which was earlier a separate one has now been merged with the main annual budget.

KCR said his government has been giving top priority to agriculture from the beginning and sufficient funds are going to be allocated in the new budget. The government will also take up more programmes and schemes for farmers in this budget. He said the budget itself would explain about the priority given to the agriculture, allocation of funds, programmes and schemes.