PNS|Vijayawada
Dispelling false claims made by the Opposition party, Special Secretary to the Chief Minister, Duvvuri Krishna, set the record straight on Andhra Pradesh’s capital expenditure. “During the five-year tenure of the TDP government, the average capital expenditure was Rs 15,277.80 crore. However, during the last four years of the YSRCP government, taking into account the provisional estimate for FY 2022-23, the average capital expenditure stands at Rs 16,095.90 crore, representing a historic increase of 5.7% compared to the previous government.”
Krishna further said, “Despite the challenging circumstances caused by the global outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, which adversely affected economies worldwide for over two financial years, the YSRCP government has surpassed the TDP government in capital expenditure.”
Capital formation of an economy is measured by Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).
Duvvuri Krishna explained that during 2020-21, GFCF declined by 7.34%, impacting state finances. However, the YSRCP government’s capital expenditure remained stable in comparison to the performance of the previous government.
Apart from capital expenditure, several indicators are crucial in evaluating a State’s economic performance. Here are some facts that shed light on the YSRCP government’s approach to governance and development:
Significant budgetary allocations have been made in key sectors compared to the previous regime. The YSRCP government has outperformed the previous government with higher allocations in sectors such as Health, Education, and Rural Development.
The Health sector witnessed a substantial increase of 114%, from Rs 31,000 crore (2014-19) to Rs 68,000 crore (2019-24), while the Education sector recorded a 52% increase, from Rs 97,000 crore to Rs 1.4 lakh crore.
The rural development sector in AP also experienced a 23% increase, from Rs 77,000 crore to Rs 95,000 crore.
“It has come to our attention that the opposition has falsely claimed that only 23% of the total allocation towards capital expenditure in the State budget for 2022-23 h”as been spent, However, Duvvuri Krishna said and clarified that these figures are based on provisional estimates by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG).
Krishna further highlighted how TDP leaders made disparaging remarks about the integrity of the CAG when it reported favorable fiscal deficit figures during the YSRCP government’s tenure based on provisional estimates. “Even the current figure of capital expenditure for FY 2022-23 is a provisional estimate. However, the TDP and affiliated media endorse the report because it suits their interests,” stated Krishna.
