Andhra Pradesh unveils Rs 2.56 lakh crore budget, revenue deficit at Rs 17,000 crore

Finance ministerBuggana Rajendranathon Friday tabled the budget for 2022-23 with an outlay of Rs 2.56 lakh crore and a of Rs 17,036 crore. This was against Rs 2.29 lakh crore budget with just Rs 5,000 crore revenue deficit that he had presented for financial year 2021-22.

Rajendranath said that the government is guiding the people “on the path of development and prosperity” through the four pillars of development policy making, which are the standard models of economic focus. They are human capacity development, Infrastructure provision, livelihoods support and social security, the minister said.

He said that the government’s programmes being implemented through the Navarathnalu are categorised in these four pillars and integrated them with theSustainable Development Goals(SDGs) of theUnited Nations. However, Covid-19 pandemic had hit the state economy, the minister said and added that the government had taken several steps to protect the lives and livelihoods of the people.

He said that the policy-making with the combination of Navaratnalu and the guiding four pillars principle have helped the state to registered an upward Subscribe on YouTube

href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/growth">Growth to keep peoples’ lives protected and the SDGs are guaranteed.

The allocation for all the social service sectors touched Rs 1,13,340 crore which is nearly 42 per cent of the total budget.

The finance minister granted nearly Rs 30,000 crore for the Education-sector”>Education sector while the Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture sector got Rs 13,000 crore.

The Health-sector”>Health sector got Rs 15,384 crore. The finance minister granted Rs 69,306 crore for the economic activities sector. This is nearly 27.5 per cent of the total outlay.

The Irrigation sector got Rs 11,482 crore while the Energy sector got Rs.10,281 crore.

Buggana granted Rs 170 crore for the construction of multi-speciality hospitals in tribal areas.
Rs 250 crore was granted for the upgradation of the district hospitals into medical colleges.
Minister had also granted Rs 320 crore for new medical colleges. He spared Rs 753 crore for the renovation of medical colleges under Nadu-Nedu.

Rs 1,603 crore was granted for Nadu-Nedu in other hospitals across the state.
The core scheme of YS Jagan Mohan Reddy government-YSR Arogyasri got Rs 2000 crore allocation.

The brainchild of chief minister YS Jagan, the Amma Vodi scheme will get Rs 6,500 crore.
The finance minister granted Rs.18518 crore for SC Sub-Plan which was increased from Rs 13, 835 crore.

ST sub-plan got Rs 6,145 crore which jumped from Rs 5,318 crore. BC sub-plan grant was increased to Rs 29,143 crore from Rs 28,238 crore.

Minority

action was increased to Rs 3,532 crore from Rs 3,306 crore. EBC welfare budget saw a nearly 100 per cent of increase from Rs 3,306 crore to Rs 6,639 crore.

Finance minister Buggana Rajendranth, special SC (finance) SS Rawat, principal secretary Sashibhushan Kumar and secretary KVV Satyanarayana held special prayers in the secretariat before the presentation of the budget to the state cabinet.

Cabinet chaired by chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy stamped its nod to the annual budget little before the minister presented it to the assembly.

Startup to train pilots to operate drones in Andhra Pradesh

A new era is dawning in the field of drones in AP with the increase in use of drones in agricultural, non-agricultural and industrial sectors. To cater to this demand, a startup has taken up the initiative

to train and produce expert drone operators.

Drogo Drones, a startup company, has started a training center for pilots operating drones at Tadepalli in Guntur district ofAndhra Pradesh. Managing director of Drogo Drones,Yashwant Bontu, said that representatives of the office of the Director

General ofCivil Aviation(DGCA) visited the company’s office and conducted inspections and issued a no-objection letter.

Andhra Pradesh ropes in Iskcon for mid-day meal scheme

The has roped in International Society for Krishna Consciousness (Iskcon) to implement Jagananna Gorumudda (mid-day meal) programme in pre-primary and high schools.

Iskcon is

setting up ultra-modern kitchens under Akshaya Patra foundation across the state to implement the scheme. Iskcon has agreed to serve egg to children and follow the menu prescribed by the state government.

Chief minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy will inaugurate the ultra-modern kitchen constructed by Iskcon at Atmakur village near Mangalagiri.

Donkey slaughter on rise in Andhra Pradesh, finds PETA

Illegal slaughter of donkeys and the sale of their meat has become quite prevalent in state as butchers are slitting donkeys throats on roadsides, under flyovers and behind makeshift stalls. Merchants are selling the prohibited donkey meat in full public view.

These are some of the findings

of a recent undercover investigation conducted by the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)- India inAndhra Pradesh. The team recently visited Ongole, Tadepalli, Vijayawada, Chirala, andBapatlaand documented the killings and the sale of this equine meat.

The PETA Indias investigation also found that adults are forcing children into helping with illegal slaughter, exposing them to blood and desensitising them to violence. The stray dogs consume the leftover donkey meat, skins, and offal dumped in the open. The transportation of donkeys happens late at night in order to evade the Police and to reach the slaughter sites early in the morning.
In India, killing and eating donkeys whose Population has declined by about 61% in a seven-year period violates a number of laws. Donkey slaughter violates Section 429 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, and is punishable with a jail term of up to five years, a fine, or both.

Andhra Pradesh constitutes new Pay Revision Commission

Former special chief secretary Dr Manmohan Singh has been appointed as Pay Revision Commissioner (PRC) chairman. The 1985-batch Ias officer, Dr Singh, last served as Chief Commissioner Land Administration (CCLA) before demitting office in 2019.

The issued a GO appointing Dr Singh as one-man commission. He has been directed to submit his report within a year. Although, the state government constituted the 12th PRC as per the demands of employees unions, setting 12 months deadline for submission of reports would eventually means that the recommendations could be implemented only by the next government as the assembly Subscribe on YouTube

href="https://exam.pscnotes.com/elections">Elections are due in April-May.

Interestingly, the state government had initially decided to the practice of appointment of PRC at every four years keeping in view of the financial constraints of the state. The state government wanted to follow the Central PRC recommendations as the Centre had been revising the employees salaries once in a decade.

However, the state government, under pressure from

the employees unions, reversed its decision and constituted another PRC. The salaries bill of employees in AP had touched 135 percent of the States Own Revenues by the time it implemented the previous PRC recommendations in 2022.

Mangoes from Andhra Pradesh to line US shelves again

The Union Government has secured the approval of the United States Department of Agriculture-notes-for-state-psc-exams”>Agriculture (USDA) for export of Indian mangoes to the USA in the new season. The export of Indian mangoes has been restricted by the USA since 2020 asUSDAinspectors were unable to visit India due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The USDAs approval would pave the way for exports from traditional mango production belts such asAndhra Pradesh.

According to sources, traders export about 10,000 tonnes of mangoes from Andhra Pradesh to

various countries every year. But the official estimates put this figure at about 2,000 tonnes. The difference in the numbers stems from the fact that the traders, after procuring mangoes from the state, export them from international flights and Ports in other states like Maharashtra, Telangana, Karnataka, etc.

Centre gives green signal to three medical colleges in Andhra Pradesh

The central government has given permission for the three medical colleges being constructed in the state.

Union minister for Health and family welfare, Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, told Rajya Sabha on Tuesday that the clearance for the three medical colleges coming up at Paderu in Visakhapatnam district, Machilipatnam in Krishna

and Pidiguralla in Guntur district was given.

The minister said that these three medical colleges were cleared under the centrally sponsored scheme for establishing new medical colleges attached with existing district or referral hospitals.

Andhra Pradesh bags five National Fisheries Development Board awards

Andhra Pradeshbagged five Awards that are given annually by theNational Development Board(NFDB). Nellore has been selected as best marine district. Tirumaneni Naga Raju was selected as best marine farmer (seabass – Eluru), and Saptagiri Hatchery from Kakinada district was selected as best hatchery. Naresh Kumar of Reddy Drugs & Labs in Kovvur in

East Godavari district, andKavitha Reddy of Artemia Technology Infusion(for technology infusion) were also awarded.

NFDB, under the department of fisheries, animal husbandry and Dairy, government of India, instituted awards in selected categories to felicitate fish farmers who contributed to the Growth of fisheries sector by adopting improved technologies and practices in aquaculture and fisheries on the World Fisheries Day.

Now, 3 capitals supporters plan a reverse padayatra

In a bid to counter the agitation ofAmaravatifarmers, a reverse padayatra from Arasavalli to Amaravati is now being planned by some organisations in

north Andhra districts by involving intellectuals, students, and farmers in support of the governments three capitals move. The walkathon, which has the backing of the ruling party, is likely to begin after the completion of the ongoing padayatra by Amaravati farmers.

Joint action committees (JACs) would be formed in all six north Andhra districts by the end of this month, sources said. The JACs plan to start signature campaigns, round table and street corner meetings across the north Andhra region in coming days.

Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra sworn in as chief justice of Andhra Pradesh high court

VJustice Prashant Kumar Mishra was sworn in as the chief of AP High Court.

Governor Biswabhushan Harichandan administered the oath to Justice Mishra. While chief secretary Sameer Sharma initiated the proceedings, high court registrar general BS

Bhanumati read out the notification issued by the President of India on the appointment.

Justice Mishra was born in Raigarh (Chhattisgarh) in 1964. After completing his BSc and LLB from Guru Ghasidas University in Bilaspur, he enrolled as an advocate in 1987 and practised at Raigarh district court, high court of Madhya Pradesh, and later at Chhattisgarh high court. Having dealt with civil, criminal and writ branches of law, he was designated as senior advocate in 2005.