Telangana State budget today: Welfare, Health, Education likely to get priority

Hyderabad: The state budget 2024-25 to be presented on Thursday likely to lay emphasis on welfare, education and health sectors. The outlay may be around Rs 2.90 lakh crore which would be slightly more than the vote-on-account budget of Rs 2.75 lakh crore.

The state Cabinet will meet on Thursday morning to approve the budget.

Deputy CM and Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka will thereafter present the budget in the House. Official sources said that Irrigation would get lion’s share so that it could complete the pending irrigation projects in old Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar districts. Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy has made it clear that the completion of pending projects to create a new ayacut of 6 lakh acres in the current financial year will be top on the priority list.

Another major sector that would be given importance in the budget is Education. The Chief Minister has made it clear that his government would go in for major reforms in the education sector, particularly at the school level.

Sources said the government would draw a roadmap to strengthen the Education sector along with providing grants for higher education sector, particularly universities and technical educational institutions, ITI colleges and the establishment of Skill Development University in Hyderabad.

Another sector that is likely to get high priority is health sector so that medical facilities can be extended across the state. The government also proposes to issue Aarogyasri cards to all. Along with this, welfare will also get major funds so that the six guarantees, including the farm loan waiver, can be implemented within the stipulated time.

Officials said the development of rural and urban infrastructure and improvement of civic amenities in greater Hyderabad are likely to be included in the capital investment in the budget.