Welfare, development push: Andhra presents ₹3.32 trn budget for 2026-27

Balancing welfare and development, Andhra Pradesh on Saturday presented a Budget of over Rs 3.32 lakh crore for 202627, with an estimated revenue expenditure of Rs 2.56 lakh crore and capital expenditure of nearly Rs 54,000 crore.

While presenting the Budget in the state assembly, Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav said the estimated revenue deficit would be around Rs 22,000 crore (1.11 per cent of the GSDP) and the fiscal deficit is pegged at nearly 76,000 crore (3.84 per cent of the GSDP).

The budget proposed Rs 51,021 crore for the BC component, while School Education gets Rs 32,308 crore.

The Budget allocated Rs 19,306 crore for Health, Medical & Family Welfare Department.

The Panchayati Raj & Rural Development Department, held by Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan gets nearly Rs 23,000 crore.

In his speech, Keshav said a short span of two years is certainly not enough to rebuild a state which has faced catastrophic events since its inception. First, the irrational bifurcation in 2014, and second, an even bigger shock of "misrule" from 2019-24.

"The former deprived us of a vibrant capital city, growth engines, and buoyant services sector which generated revenue for the State. The latter compounded the agony by policy paralysis and financial recklessness," he said.

Keshav described the Budget as not just an account of figures, but as a roadmap aimed at fulfilling the dreams of five crore people.