Fri Feb 28 02:11:54 UTC 2025: **Andhra Pradesh Unveils ₹3 Lakh Crore Budget; Key Electoral Promises Partially Fulfilled**
Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh – The Andhra Pradesh state government today presented its budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, totaling between ₹3 lakh crore and ₹3.10 lakh crore. Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav presented the General Budget, while Agriculture Minister K. Atchannaidu presented a separate Agriculture Budget, a long-standing practice in the state.
A significant portion of the budget, over ₹1.30 lakh crore, is allocated to “committed expenditure,” covering salaries, pensions (₹33,000 crore annually for 64 lakh pensioners), loan repayments, and interest payments.
The budget reflects some, but not all, of the “Super Six” electoral promises made by the ruling Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and Jana Sena Party (JSP). Provisions have been made for *Thalliki Vandanam*, a ₹15,000 annual financial aid to mothers who send their children to school, and the *Rythu Bharosa* scheme, providing ₹20,000 per annum in farmer assistance (partially funded by the central government’s PM-KISAN scheme).
However, other key promises, including ₹1,500 monthly financial assistance for women and free bus travel for women, are reportedly absent from this year’s budget. The budget does include a provision for financial aid to fishermen families during fishing bans, fulfilling another TDP promise.
The budget has been met with considerable public interest, with hopes high for the implementation of the remaining electoral pledges in future budgetary cycles.
First Piper 