Budget Session In Telangana, AP To Begin Soon

The Budget sessions in both the Telugu-speaking states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana will reportedly commence soon.

While the Telangana Assembly is most likely to convene budgetary discussions from March 15, a day after the conclusion of the upcoming MLC elections for two graduates' constituencies, the Andhra Pradesh government will reportedly flag off its Budget session on March 19.

According to information, the Telangana Assembly and Secretariat officials have allotted about ten days for the session. As per the schedule, which is yet to be announced, Governor Tamilisai Soundararajan will address the joint session on March 15 at 11:00 am.

The house will then mourn and condole the deaths of its recently-deceased members and former legislators on March 16. On March 17, the house will offer thanks to the Governor for her speech. On March 18, the budget presentation for the fiscal year 2021-22 will be unveiled to the house at 11:30 am.

Finance Minister T Harish Rao will present the new budget in the Assembly, while either Health Minister Etala Rajender or Education Minister Sabitha Indra Reddy will do so in the Upper House.

This year, Chief Minister K Chandrashekar Rao has reportedly asked the concerned officials to prioritise the improvement of existing welfare schemes and irrigation projects. Apart from that, need-based allocations will also be considered for several departments.

The AP government on the other hand has already made clear its plans to introduce a gender-based budget this year. Both welfare schemes under the state's Navaratnalu program as well as its infrastructural needs will feature prominently in the financial discussions, too.

The Budget session in the state will likely go on till the end of the month during which the government is planning to approve several important bills.

The monetary decisions of the two states for the coming fiscal year assume special significance this year as the country is still reeling from the devastation that the Covid-19 pandemic wreaked on its economy.