VIJAYAWADA: AP finance minister Buggana Rajendranath sought extension of special assistance towards capital expenditure for next year when union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman held pre-budget consultations with finance ministers of states and union territories in Delhi on Friday.
Speaking to media persons after the pre-budget consultations, Rajendranath said he made many suggestions and requests to the centre in the best interests of Andhra Pradesh. These include, apart from special assistance, green bonds on rentable energy projects like solar and wind energy, infrastructure support under PMAY housing programme and development of backward areas Rayalaseema and Uttarandhra, besides road and rail projects in the state.
The AP finance minister said after YSRC took reins in 2019, the government has remained focused on education and health to help the poor and the needy. Regarding GST, he pointed out that centre is getting 68 percent income in the form of cess, while the state is incurring 62 percent expenditure in collecting the taxes.
Most of the participants in the meeting with the union finance minister gave numerous suggestions for inclusion in her budget speech. Nirmala Sitharaman thanked participants for their inputs and suggestions and assured to examine each of them.
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