Budget 2025-26: Telangana budget will be presented in the assembly today

The budget for the financial year 2025-26 will be presented in the Telangana Legislative Assembly on Wednesday (March 19, 2025). Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who is also the Finance Minister, will present the budget in the House on Wednesday. While the officials of the Finance Department have started efforts to fix the annual financial statement for the next financial year, it is being said that this time the budget is likely to be presented with Rs 3.2 lakh crore. The government seems committed to fulfilling immediate commitments.

“Though these numbers may seem daunting at times, we must remember that behind every allocation lie the aspirations of our people,” Governor Jishnu Dev Varma said in his address to a joint sitting of the legislature on March 12. He hinted at a possibility of a significant increase in total expenditure. The performance of revenue-earning departments during the current fiscal year has not been up to expectations.

According to provisional data released by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India, total receipts at the end of January were ₹1.82 lakh crore, 66.57% of the ₹2.74 lakh crore projected in the budget estimates, with just two months left for the fiscal year (2024-25) to conclude. A large chunk of the receipts was in the form of borrowings and other liabilities at ₹58,586 crore, ₹9,000 crore more than the ₹49,255 crore estimated for the fiscal.

The state relies on financial adjustment facilities such as special drawing facility, ways and means advances, and overdrafts provided by the Reserve Bank of India. For instance, the state availed ₹4,560 crore by relying on special drawing facilities for all 31 days of December and earned ₹1,776.29 crore by availing ways and means advances for 24 of the 31 days.

More revenue expected in FY 2025-26. Though the scope of increasing taxes to raise additional resources seems remote, the government can expect more revenue this fiscal. This is because of the proposed auction of 400 acres of land in Kancha Gachibowli and the auction of retail liquor shops scheduled to take place later this year, which are likely to generate substantial revenue.

For more updates on the Telangana budget, visit Vaartha Hyderabad and stay informed with the Vaartha e-paper.