Amid 'T' turmoil, Rosaiah presents budget 2010-11

Hyderabad, Feb 20: Despite the Telangana turmoil outside, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister K Rosaiah managed to successfully hold the budget session in the Legislative Assembly on Saturday, Feb 20.

Presenting yet another tax-free budget, Rosaiah put the Budget estimates at Rs 1,13,660 crores including a non-plan expenditure of 73, 347 crore for the year 2010-2011.

Allocations to core sectors such as irrigation, agriculture, housing and social welfare will remain a priority to the government, said the CM, whg was presenting his sixteenth budget.

Some of the budget allocations are as follows:

• Arogyasri - Rs 925 cr
• Free power - Rs 4,500 cr
• Senior citizens and handicapped - Rs 1,846 cr
• Minorities - Rs 210 cr
• Scheduled tribes - Rs 93 cr
• Tribal welfare - Rs 902 cr
• BCs - Rs 1032 cr
• OBC welfare - Rs 300 cr
• Education - Rs 3,155 cr
• Roads & highways - Rs 3,000 cr
• Health - Rs 1,820 cr
• Pavalavaddi scheme - Rs 200 cr
• Backward areas - Rs 383 cr

A revenue surplus of Rs 3548 crore has been predicted while fiscal deficit has been estimated to Rs 12, 983 crore.

Special Economic Zones (SEZs) have also been planned for Kakinada, Tirupati, Vijayawada, and Visakhapatnam.

The budget was presented as per the schedule despite the city being in a state of total chaos with pro-Telangana students of Osmania University and other colleges holding a rally.

The agitating students had planned to lay seige to the Assembly prompting the police to turn the city into a security fortress.

OneIndia News