Hyderabad: Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, who also holds the finance portfolio, is set to present the Budget in the Assembly on Wednesday. For the first time, the outlay is expected to surpass the Rs 3-lakh-crore mark.This will be the second full budget introduced by the Congress government since assuming office in December 2023.In the previous financial year, Bhatti presented a Budget of Rs 2.91 lakh crore for 2024-25. Prior to the Lok Sabha elections, he had introduced a vote-on-account Budget for 2024-25 in February 2024, with an outlay of Rs 2.75 lakh crore.A full Budget followed in July 2024, increasing the allocation to Rs 2.91 lakh crore. Based on these trends, the 2025-26 budget is expected to have an outlay of Rs 3.20 lakh crore.The upcoming Budget is expected to include substantial allocations to fund the state’s ‘Six Guarantees,’ along with Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy’s flagship projects, such as Metro Rail Phase-2, Future City, and the Musi Rejuvenation Project. Additionally, significant investments are expected in the education, health, irrigation, and welfare sectors.Infrastructure projects, including the Hyderabad Regional Ring Road and development initiatives under the GHMC, HMDA, and HMWSSB, are also likely to receive high priority in this Budget.However, the state’s revenue earnings in the ongoing fiscal year (2024-25) have not met expectations. Provisional data released by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in January 2025 indicated that Telangana’s receipts between April 2024 and January 2025 stood at Rs 1.82 lakh crore — only 66.57 per cent of the projected Rs 2.74 lakh crore. With just two months remaining in the fiscal year, this shortfall raises concerns over financial management.A significant portion of the state’s earnings came from borrowings and liabilities, amounting to Rs 58,586 crore-Rs 9,000 crore more than the projected Rs 49,255 crore for the year.Addressing a public meeting in Jangaon district last Sunday, Revanth Reddy acknowledged the revenue shortfall, revealing that the government fell nearly Rs 70,000 crore short of the Rs 2.91 lakh crore budget target for 2024-25.
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