Telangana Rising with Rs 3 lakh cr Budget
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who holds the Finance portfolio presented the budget in the House.
Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister and finance minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka on Wednesday presented the state's Budget for 2025-26 with an outlay of Rs 3,04,965 crore. This is the first time that the state Budget has crossed the Rs 3-lakh-crore mark. The revenue expenditure accounts for Rs 2,26,982 crore and capital expenditure Rs 36,504 crore.
"Our government is dedicated to fulfilling Telangana's long-term needs and aspirations, striving relentlessly for sustainable progress, inclusive growth and a prosperous future for all," Bhatti said, adding that the government was firmly committed to achieving the long-term development goals of Telangana.
"Under the leadership of Chief Minister Revanth Reddy with the Telangana Rising-2050 vision, we are shaping our policies and programmes to drive sustainable progress. Our strategic roadmap for the next decade envisions a five-fold expansion of the current $200-billion state economy into a trillion-dollar economy," Bhatti said.
The government's 'Six Guarantees' got a massive allocation of Rs 56,084 crore. Major welfare schemes and development projects got even higher allocations of Rs 1.04 lakh crore. Agriculture, education and health got priority in the Budget.
A major highlight in the Budget was the Mega Master Plan 2050 for industrial development, which includes the establishment of greenfield industrial clusters in Rangareddy and Mahbubnagar districts.
To ease urban congestion in Hyderabad, the government has announced the construction of 31 flyovers and 17 underpasses at a cost of Rs 7,032 crore under the H-CITI initiative. The Budget also aims to expedite the Chief Minister’s pet projects of Future City, Musi Rejuvenation and Hyderabad Regional Ring Road projects.
For the next fiscal, the Budget proposed to raise Rs 64,539 crore through open market borrowings in 2025-26, which is over Rs 7,500 crore higher than Rs 56,940 crore debt raised in 2024-25.
The budget projected a revenue surplus of Rs 2,783 crore in 2025-26, which is lower than Rs 5,888.71 crore projected in revised estimates for 2024-25. The budget projected a fiscal deficit of Rs 54,009 crore in 2025-26 ,which is higher than Rs 46,764 crore projected in revised estimates for 2024-25.
The state government has pinned its hopes on higher tax revenue and non-tax revenue collections in 2025-26. In the next fiscal, it expects to earn Rs 1,45,419 crore through tax revenues in 2025-26, which is higher than Rs 1,29,406 crore projected in revised estimates for 2024-25 and non-tax revenues of Rs 31,618 crore in 2025-26 against revised estimates of Rs 25,814 crore for 2024-25.
Though Bhatti Vikramarka had presented a Rs 2,91,059-crore budget during the previous fiscal, the government has downsized it by Rs 25,125 crore in the revised estimates to Rs 2,65,934 crore due to lower than expected revenue earnings.
Indirectly attacking the opposition BRS for indulging in false propaganda against Congress government through social media and their own publications, Bhatti Vikramarka said, "Some individuals have made it their mission to question every action of the government and indulge in baseless criticism.”
“They manipulate public perception by spreading false narratives through social media and their own publications. It is our responsibility to counter such misleading propaganda and consistently present the truth to the people. If the truth is not communicated clearly and frequently, there is a real danger that the lies spread by self-serving individuals will be mistaken for reality."
He also stated that the state government has prioritised the long-term welfare and inclusive development of the state and delivered welfare benefits to every citizen. "We have successfully overcome the challenges inherited from previous governments, proving our government's strength and efficiency. However, due to Lok Sabha elections and the implementation of election code, there was a temporary pause in some developmental initiatives," he said.
The Telangana government has decided to establish Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Knowledge Centres in 119 assembly constituencies across the state. Through these centers, economically backward youth from rural areas will have the opportunity to receive free coaching for Group-1, Group-2, and other competitive exams.
The process of transforming 65 government industrial training centres across the state into Advanced Technology Centres to provide skill training to 1 lakh people annually is underway.
With the support of Tata Technology Services, these training centers offer 9 long-term and 23 short-term courses, along with bridge courses to address skill gaps, enabling the youth of Telangana to acquire the necessary job skills.
Established on 150 acres in Mucharla, the university aims to create 30,000 jobs annually. In collaboration with the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) under the Singapore government, we are providing specialized training to the master trainers.
The "Hajj 2024" pilgrimage saw a record 11,446 devotees from Telangana, making it a historic milestone for the state.
Understanding the aspirations of the people, we have taken the decision to issue ration cards to all eligible individuals and also to ensure that they receive fine rice. The process of issuing new ration cards and adding family members’ names officially began on January 26, 2025, says Bhatti Vikramarka.
Telangana government has waived farm loans up to ₹2 lakh. So far, ₹20,616.89 crores worth of loans have been waived for 25.35 lakh farmers. This decisive action has cleared the loans of farmers, enabling them to access new agricultural loans with ease.
A new initiative is underway to develop satellite townships around Hyderabad along the Outer Ring Road (ORR). These townships will feature affordable housing communities, making homeownership more accessible for low-income and middle-class families.
The Rajiv Arogyasri Scheme, designed to provide health security to the underprivileged, is being implemented as part of the Cheyutha initiative. Under this scheme, the free medical coverage limit has been increased from ₹5 lakh to ₹10 lakh, benefiting 90.10 lakh families living below the poverty line.
The Indiramma Housing Scheme was launched in March 2024, with a policy decision to grant house ownership in the name of women. Under this scheme, the government has sanctioned 4.5 lakh houses, with a minimum allocation of 3,500 houses per constituency, at an estimated cost of ₹22,500 crores.
Under the Gruha Jyothi Scheme, households in Telangana consuming up to 200 units of electricity are provided free electricity. The scheme is benefiting 50 lakh families across the State.