Andhra’s high hopes dashed as no major allocations in Budget

Amaravati, Feb 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and senior officials went into a huddle on Monday after the Union Budget 2021-22 dashed their hopes, with no major allocation for the state.

"There were no major budget allocations to the state, though we looked forward with hope as we lost a major chunk of assets and infrastructure in the state's bifurcation," said an official.

Despite multiple visits to Delhi in the preceding months by Reddy, Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath and others to plead with the Centre to be generous with the bifurcated state, the budget came as a huge disappointment.

The state had high hopes and expectations for special allocations, but there was no mention of the crucial special category status, Polvaram Project, railway zones and others.

"Neighbouring Tamil Nadu and Karnataka received a good share of allocations, while the state was left without any special consideration from the Centre," the official said.

According to senior officials, though allocations were made to various sectors and programmes, nothing was special to Andhra Pradesh as the state was covered in general and on par with all other states.

They noted that there was even a slump in the allocations for PM Kisan, Awas Yojana and MGNREGS compared to the previous year, besides a slash in the subsidy on food grains, petrol and fertilisers.

Meanwhile, Reddy directed the officials to work hard to procure more funds from the Centre, asking them to liaise with officials there to ensure timely flow.

Officials from the Finance Department and the Chief Minister's Office participated in the meeting.

Right after the budget presentation, YSRCP MPs, led by Rajya Sabha member V. Vijayasai Reddy, had loudly expressed their disappointment at the lack of focus on the state.

Source: IANS