Telangana likely to spend Rs 20,000 cr less than budget estimates for current fiscal

As per the revised budget estimates, the actual expenditure for the fiscal is around Rs 1.71 lakh crore at the end of January this is year against the projected Rs 2.24 lakh crore for the current fiscal.

Hyderabad: With changed priorities and delay in implementing the proposed schemes, Telangana is likely to spend around Rs 20,000 crore less than the revised budget estimates for the 2023-24 financial year.

As per the revised budget estimates, the actual expenditure for the fiscal is around Rs 1.71 lakh crore at the end of January this is year against the projected Rs 2.24 lakh crore for the current fiscal.

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Under the BRS regime, the State budget estimates projected the total expenditure at Rs 2.49 lakh crore including revenue expenditure of Rs 2.11 lakh crore and capital expenditure of Rs 37,524 crore for the financial year 2023-24.

However, while presenting the revised estimates for 2023-24, Deputy Chief Minister (Finance and Energy) Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka revised the total expenditure to Rs 2,24,625 crore, out of which revenue expenditure is Rs 1,69,141 crore and capital expenditure is Rs 24,178 crore.

While the revenue expenditure is the operational expenses including salaries, pensions and welfare schemes, the capital expenditure is typically investment on creating assets for the State through infrastructure development.

Before the Congress government was formed in December last year, the actual total expenditure stood at Rs 1.44 lakh crore. In January this year, the actual total expenditure increased to Rs 1.72 lakh crore including Rs 1.38 lakh crore in revenue expenditure and another Rs 33,991 crore in capital expenditure.

The actual expenditure of the Congress regime in initial two months, was around Rs 28,086 crore. Even if the State government’s expenditure is another Rs 32,000 crore in February and March, the actual expenditure is unlikely to surpass Rs 2.04 lakh crore, the officials in the Finance department said.

The officials attributed the shortfall in actual expenditure to intial hiccups faced by any new government, due to changed priorities especially with focus on implementing the six guarantees of the Congress to the people of the State.

The State government had so far implemented the free bus travel for women with an estimated outgo of Rs 300 crore a month, enhanced coverage under the Aarogyasri from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh and launched Indiramma Housing. But it is treading cautiously in the implementation of other promises like Rythu Bharosa and enhanced Aasara pensions.

Total expenditure (in crore)

* Initial budget estimates – Rs 2.49 lakh

* Revised budget estimates – Rs 2.24 lakh

* Actuals till January – Rs 1.72 lakh crore

* Estimated shortfall in actual expenditure by end of current fiscal – Rs 20,000