VIJAYAWADA: In what could be a major boost to the Home Department, which had been starved of funds to meet minimum expenditure and take up capacity-building projects, the TDP-led NDA government has allocated a whopping Rs 8,945 crore to it in the State Budget for 2024-25, presented by Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav.
Home Minister Vangalapudi Anitha expressed her happiness over the budget allocation for the Home Department on Monday. “The budget allocation reflects the NDA government’s priority to strengthen law and order in the State,” she said.
Hailing the budget, she noted that it gave equal importance to development and welfare, with an emphasis on Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s growth vision. “This budget will restore the State’s prosperity after the destruction caused by the five-year rule of YSRC. With a whopping allocation of Rs 8,945 crore, we will revive the past glory of the Police Department,” she asserted.
She revealed that Rs 62 crore in funds had already been released for the modernization of the police force and infrastructure.
The Home Minister also criticized former Chief Minister Y. S. Jagan Mohan Reddy for neglecting various crucial departments during his five-year tenure. She informed that the NDA government has emphasized the establishment of 13 fast-track NDPS courts to expedite the trial of cases registered under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act.
“To protect youngsters from getting addicted to narcotic substances, special teams will be formed, and a dedicated cybercrime police station will be set up in every district,” she added.