HYDERABAD: Around 459 villages in the State have no road connectivity and they will get funds in the State budget for the coming fiscal year, 2017-18.
The lack of road connectivity in these villages has been identified by Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Minister Jupally Krishna Rao at a pre-budget exercise, here on Saturday. The Panchayat Raj Minister also estimated that around Rs 247 crore was required for providing pensions to around 2 lakh single women. Apart from Jupally, other ministers in the State are now holding meetings for finalising the budget proposals. The proposals are being reviewed in three phases this year. In the first phase, the officials of departments held meetings with their staff. Later, Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao directed all the ministers to conduct meetings with their secretaries.
Later, each department review will be conducted by the CM before the commencement of the budget session of the State Assembly, which will begin either in the last week of February or in the first week of March. “The CM directed all the ministers to conduct meetings with their respective secretaries. Later, we will have final round of discussions with the CM,” an IAS officer told Express on Saturday.
Official sources said thatthe budget size will be anything between Rs 1.3 lakh core to Rs 1.4 lakh crore. “However, the proposals from all the departments put together valued at Rs 2.8 lakh crore to 3 lakh crore. If we require Rs 10, we will seek Rs 20. If we don’t ask for more money, the government will consider that we are unable to send the proposals,” an official said. He added that proposals would be reviewed by the CM.