Vijayawada : The Andhra Pradesh state cabinet is set to meet on Friday at 9 AM to approve the Budget proposals for the fiscal year 2025-26. Finance Minister Payyavula Kesav will present the Budget in the State Assembly later in the day. This will be the first full-fledged Budget of the state government, which assumed office in July 2024.

Although this marks Kesav’s second Budget presentation, his first delivered in November 2024 was only an interim budget with an outlay of ₹2.94 lakh crore. At that time, the Finance Min-ister had projected a fiscal deficit of 4.19% of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), while the revenue deficit stood at 2.12% of the GSDP. The allocation for agriculture and allied sec-tors was ₹11,855 crore.

The Budget to be presented on Friday will include revised esti-mates for FY25, which are expected to be in the range of ₹3.05 lakh crore to ₹3.15 lakh crore. Following this, Agriculture Minister K Atchannaidu will present the agricultural budget.

Key areas of focus in the upcoming Budget are likely to include the P4 scheme, which will be the government's flagship program set to launch on Ugadi. Additionally, significant allocations are expected for agriculture, irrigation, women’s empowerment, employment generation, skill development, and the super six, the core assurances the alliance promised during the elections.

A crucial aspect of the Budget will be addressing the state's fiscal health and strategies to enhance own-tax and non-tax revenues. As per available data, the state’s revenue growth stands at ₹68,807 crore, reflecting a modest increase of 1.2%. This slow growth is attributed to the critical financial situation inherited from the previous regime. The Budget is expected to outline measures to improve the financial standing of the state.

The developments in the Assembly will be closely watched as the government unveils its fiscal roadmap for the year ahead.