HYDERABAD: The Congress government, in its first year in office, spent Rs 61,516 crore implementing welfare schemes in the state. Of this, Rs 20,617 crore was spent on waiving crop loans and Rs 11,382 crore on providing pensions under the Cheyutha Scheme.
According to the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), the government took Rs 52,118 crore in loans from December 2023 to November 2024. During the same period, it repaid Rs 64,516 crore towards interest and principal amounts of loans taken by the previous BRS government.
Of the total amount spent by the government on welfare schemes, Rs 57,000 crore was spent exclusively on extending benefits to the farming community, including Rythu Bharosa, crop loan waivers, free power, crop insurance, paddy procurement, and providing bonuses to ryots who produced superfine variety rice.
The CMO stated that the government has started efforts to improve the financial situation of the state. It followed financial discipline to bring the state, which was burdened with debts, back on track, it added.
“In the last 10 years, from 2014 to 2023, the previous BRS government incurred debts of about Rs 7 lakh crore. The interest and installments to be paid on them have become obstacles to new development works and welfare schemes. The government has taken special initiatives to overcome these challenges and implement the guarantees given to the people,” the CMO added.