Vijayawada: The Budget session is likely to begin on March 6, and proceed until March 29; the budget may be presented on March 13. The Chief Minister held a meeting with Heads of Departments and Secretaries at the Velagapudi Secretariat on Tuesday, and decided the schedule of the budget session.
He also said that a two-day pre-budget exercise would be held on the February 23 and 24. The meeting was held as part of the pre-budget consultations, and inputs were taken to ensure a result-oriented budget.
“The State budget for the year 2017-18 will be a result-oriented one, and it will ensure that benefits and services reach deserving people,” said the CM. He said that the state had been able to overcome various problems through the convergence of funds in the previous budgets.
“It has also helped us initiate various developmental activities in villages,” he added. The CM indicated that the government would continue to prioritise the convergence of funds in this year’s budget.
“For Navyaandhra Pradesh to become a leading state in the country, we all have to work hard for the next 4 years,” he told the HoDs. He also mentioned that officials should aim at increasing the satisfaction levels of people working in the area of service delivery, and that departments should create a positive work environment.
The CM said that 153 government programmes could be carried out with the help of funds from NREGA. He mentioned that the government plans to use funds of '7,500 crore from NREGA in the upcoming budget, and added that a workshop will be conducted soon to increase awareness about the use of funds.
Expressing his happiness at having successfully presented the last two budgets, the CM said that there had been a steady increase in the income of the State. He said that the government had been able to overcome the bifurcation crisis through innovative thinking. He also mentioned that the information obtained through the Praja Sadhikara survey would be helpful to ensure service delivery to citizens, and he asked officials to make optimum use of the data.
