Andhra Pradesh government today presented a Rs 1.91-lakh-crore budget with a projected revenue surplus of Rs 5 235 crore for financial year 2018-19 vowing to make every citizen in this state a happy person . The budget estimates entail an overall increase of around 21.69 per cent over Rs 1.56 lakh crore in 2017-18. Presenting his last full budget in the election year finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said the state s fiscal deficit was expected to touch Rs 24 205 crore which would be over Rs 3 000 crore less than 2017-18. He also said that the per capita income of the state rose to Rs 1 42 054 in 2017-18 from Rs 1 23 664 in 2016-17 registering a jump of 14.87 per cent. General education got the lion s share in the latest budget with an allocation of Rs 24 185 crore followed by rural development with Rs 20 815 crore. While a total of Rs 13 722 crore has been earmarked for welfare schemes an increase of 20.78 per cent irrigation got Rs 16 978 crore and agriculture and allied services were allotted Rs 12 355 crore. Substantial increases were made in allocations to different departments and specific schemes as the state faces general elections in April next year. In 2018-19 I propose a revenue expenditure of Rs 1.50 lakh crore (increase of 19.35 per cent) and a capital expenditure of Rs 28 678 crore (increase of 30.60 per cent) including Rs 9 351 crore towards principal repayment of public debt the finance minister told the Legislative Assembly. The state s fiscal deficit that was estimated to be 3.48 per cent of the gross state domestic product in 2017-18 was expected to come down to 2.78 per cent in the next fiscal. We are at the crossroads of development and deficit perpetuated by the increasing indifference of the Central government in extending our entitlements as per the AP Reorganisation Act 2014 and the assurances made by the then Prime Minister on the floor of Rajya Sabha (in February 2014). Our government has approached the situation with a clear vision and meticulous execution. We moved from despair to hope disillusionment to confidence and deprivation to growth Yanamala pointed out. The minister said the government is striving hard to ensure that all assurances are fulfilled and the state comes on a level-playing field with its neighbouring states. The state government s commitment to withstand difficulties and come out with specific growth strategies has started yielding fruitful results with double digit inclusive growth strategy he said. During 2016-17 also the state continued its double digit growth trajectory by achieving 11.01 per cent against all-India growth rate of 7.1 per cent he pointed out. The government has recognised that maintaining an impressive economic growth rate is imperative for sustained development leading to a happy society. The budget proposals are in the direction of making every citizen in the state a happy person Yanamala remarked. A happy state is to be built on the pillars of sustainable and equitable socio economic development environment conservation preservation and promotion of culture and last but not the least good governance. AP is the only state that has the power and knowledge to create an ecosystem of knowledge economy that is innovative and futuristic the finance minister summed up. DBV SS SS SDM
Amaravati: Andhra Pradesh government today presented a Rs 1.91-lakh-crore budget with a projected revenue surplus of Rs 5 235 crore for financial year 2018-19 vowing to make every citizen in this state a happy person .The budget estimates entail an overall increase of around 21.69 per cent over Rs 1.56 lakh crore in 2017-18.Presenting his last full budget in the election year finance minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu said the state s fiscal deficit was expected to touch Rs 24 205 crore which would be over Rs 3 000 crore less than 2017-18.He also said that the per capita income of the state rose to Rs 1 42 054 in 2017-18 from Rs 1 23 664 in 2016-17 registering a jump of 14.87 per cent.General education got the lion s share in the latest budget with an allocation of Rs 24 185 crore followed by rural development with Rs 20 815 crore.While a total of Rs 13 722 crore has been earmarked for welfare schemes an increase of 20.78 per cent irrigation got Rs 16 978 crore and agriculture and allied services were allotted Rs 12 355 crore.Substantial increases were made in allocations to different departments and specific schemes as the state faces general elections in April next year. In 2018-19 I propose a revenue expenditure of Rs 1.50 lakh crore (increase of 19.35 per cent) and a capital expenditure of Rs 28 678 crore (increase of 30.60 per cent) including Rs 9 351 crore towards principal repayment of public debt the finance minister told the Legislative Assembly.The state s fiscal deficit that was estimated to be 3.48 per cent of the gross state domestic product in 2017-18 was expected to come down to 2.78 per cent in the next fiscal. We are at the crossroads of development and deficit perpetuated by the increasing indifference of the Central government in extending our entitlements as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act 2014 and the assurances made by the then Prime Minister on the floor of Rajya Sabha (in February 2014).Our government has approached the situation with a clear vision and meticulous execution.We moved from despair to hope disillusionment to confidence and deprivation to growth Mr Yanamala pointed out.The minister said the government is striving hard to ensure that all assurances are fulfilled and the state comes on a level-playing field with its neighbouring states. The state government s commitment to withstand difficulties and come out with specific growth strategies has started yielding fruitful results with double digit inclusive growth strategy he said.During 2016-17 also the state continued its double digit growth trajectory by achieving 11.01 per cent against all-India growth rate of 7.1 per cent he pointed out. The government has recognised that maintaining an impressive economic growth rate is imperative for sustained development leading to a happy society.The budget proposals are in the direction of making every citizen in the state a happy person Mr Yanamala remarked. Comments A happy state is to be built on the pillars of sustainable and equitable socio-economic development environment conservation preservation and promotion of culture and last but not the least good governance.Andhra Pradesh is the only state that has the power and knowledge to create an ecosystem of knowledge economy that is innovative and futuristic the finance minister summed up.
The Andhra Pradesh government on Thursday presented a Rs 1.91 lakh crore Budget with a projected revenue surplus of Rs 5 235 crore for the 2018- 19 financial year PTI reported. The state promised that the Budget would make every citizen of Andhra Pradesh a happy person .The 2017- 18 budget had an expenditure outlay of Rs 1.56 lakh crore. State Finance Minister Yanamala Ramakrishnudu presenting his last full Budget before the 2019 Assembly elections said the fiscal deficit would touch Rs 24 205 crore more than Rs 3 000 crore less than in 2017- 18.The fiscal deficit was estimated to be 3.48% of the state s Gross Domestic Product in 2017- 18 and is expected to reduce to 2.78% in the next financial year.In the 2018- 19 Budget Rs 24 185 crore the most for any sector has been allocated to education and Rs 20 815 crore to rural development. A sum of Rs 13 722 crore has been earmarked for welfare schemes an increase of over 20% and Rs 16 978 crore for irrigation and Rs 12 355 crore for agriculture and allied services. We are at the crossroads of development and deficit perpetuated by the increasing indifference of the Central government in extending our entitlements as per the Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act and the assurances made by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Ramakrishnudu asserted while presenting the Budget. On Wednesday Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu announced that the two Telugu Desam Party MPs serving as Union Cabinet ministers would pull out after the Centre did not agree to Andhra Pradesh s demands to be given special status.Ramakrishnudu said the state government was striving hard to ensure that all assurances to the people were fulfilled and that Andhra Pradesh achieves a level-playing field with other states.
When Gauri was twelve years old her mother s truck driver partner tried to rape her. The horrified girl managed to escape by finding shelter in a neighbour s house. When her mother Ratna amma a sex worker by profession heard of this incident she decided to move her daughter out of the house. She chose to do so because she realised she could not throw her partner out of the house since he protected her from her often violent and drunk clients. The question before her was where she could move her daughter given that her parents had refused to take care of her? Being a member of the community-based organisation Ushodoya being run by sex workers in Kalyandurg in the district of Anantapur she consulted the office-bearers who advised her to get her daughter admitted into a Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya (KGBV) a free residential school that provided a safe nurturing environment for girls. The school principal informed Ratna amma that admissions had closed in March and she would have to wait another nine months before admissions reopened. The crestfallen mother would have accepted the answer but members of Ushodoya put so much pressure on the principal that she finally had to relent. The girl has never looked back. Not only did she do well in her class twelve board exams but she has gone on to study in a residential government college being run in Anantapur. Representational image. Reuters Ravi Kiran senior project associate working with Centre For Advocacy and Research (CFAR) has played a key role in helping to organise these women and has remained in touch with this student over the years. Meeting this student who is presently in her second year of college was an extremely moving experience. The girl who was extremely candid in her views told this reporter I have never gone home since that day nine years ago. My mother does not think it is safe for me to come home. She comes to meet me in school and during our vacations the school organises summer camps for us so we get a chance to travel around. I have been living in a hostel first in school and now in college for the last nine years she said. The KGBV s are run in every mandal in Andhra Pradesh. The teaching is done in English and since they cater to girls from deprived socio-economic backgrounds the state government has ensured they are linked to good colleges in order to ensure a system of automatic admission for these students. What would she like to do after she completes her college education? I would like to get a job so I can ensure my mother no longer has to do sex work she said a faint smile spreading across her face. Another young girl from a similar background has ensured just that. The daughter of Gauri amma was admitted to the KGBV because the mother saw that many of her clients had begun to eye her daughter in a lascivious manner. This is the biggest problem we face. After our girls become eight to nine years old it is very difficult to keep them in our homes for fear that they will be molested. It is for this reason that the KGBV s are a boon for us. Our daughters get a chance to study and grow up in a happy environment said Gauri amma. Ever since Gauri amma s daughter Avantika (name changed) was admitted into the KGBV in Anantapur her teachers found that she was good at embroidery and stitching. She was encouraged to learn tailoring along with her studies and after completing her studies she received training in garment making. To Gauri amma s delight Avantika has managed to get a job in a garment making factory in Bengaluru and is presently living there. Rishi Kant is in touch with her. During the course of a telephonic interview she admitted that she had been fortunate to have discovered her ouvre as a garment cutter and hoped to move up in her profession so that her mother and brother could move in with her in Bengaluru. Not all the girls are so lucky. A large number of girls of sex workers do end up being molested and raped and several sex workers admit they have sometimes to deal with the problem of teenage pregnancies with their daughters. Asha a former treasurer of Ushodoya describes how recently the organisation had to deal with a case of a young girl who had been molested by a client. The girl was left traumatised and it took many months of counselling for her to come to terms with what had happened. Even though we got her admitted to a KGBV in Hyderabad she retreated into a shell and it took a long time for her to come to terms with the situation said Asha. The fact that their mothers are all members of CBOs and are also running a NGO has given the sex workers a new standing in society. This has helped the daughters see their mothers in a new light. Asha said People in all the neighbouring districts have heard about us and have begun to contact us for their problems. This has given us a new status. Recently we were in search of a new office and we were short of funds. The local police officials and our local MLA were the first to come forward and donate money to us. Other sex workers vouch for how their training as para legal volunteers has ensured that the district authorities use them for their outreach programs. Recently the social audit director visited Kalyandurg and asked them to do an audit of the MNREGA and pension schemes to ensure there was no misuse of funds. Rohini amma another office bearer at Ushodoya said We recently conducted an assessment of the pension scheme and found several rich farmers accessing the pension. Farmers with over 7 acres of land are not entitled to avail of pension. One family had illegally received Rs 48 000 and that was immediately stopped. The sex workers are also assisting in stopping child marriages dowry deaths and also in helping resolve cases of domestic violence. They receive Rs 250 for every case they report to the district authorities. Before any audit is undertaken we are given a list of the beneficiaries which we need to check in order to find out whether payments match the number of days the individual has worked under MNREGA she added. Sex workers in Kadiri have conducted an informal survey on the number of sex workers operating in their district. This has also helped them draw up a list of the number of girls that need admission in the KGBV and in SOS schools operating in that region. Very recently the members of Ushodoya had a new kind of case to deal with. An eight-year-old girl was forced out of school by her maternal uncle so that she could baby sit his two children. Asha amma said The girl s mother is a devadasi and was scared to make a complaint. We took up the matter and got the girl admitted to an SOS school in Tirupati thanks to the intervention of the local MLA and police. At least now we know that the girl will lead a better life now. She will get a chance to study and play and not be subject to the kind of sexual exploitation we faced when we were young.
14:02 (IST) Rajya Sabha adjourned for the day
In the politicking around the Punjab National Bank fraud allegedly perpetrated by the billionaire jeweller Nirav Modi essential details have become muddled. The barrage of often-contradictory articles about raids by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate and recovery of the jeweller s assets has not helped. With the Narendra Modi government s attempts to blame everyone but itself nobody is any wiser about to what is being done if anything to contain the damage to India s banking system. The central characters in the unfolding tragicomedy meanwhile are playing cat-and-mouse. While Nirav Modi reported to be living it up in New York after fleeing India has all but refused to return his loans estimated at Rs 11 400 crore the PNB has accused him of laundering money and directed him to come up with a repayment plan . (What it could possibly do if he does not oblige is not known.)Here then cutting through the noise is a primer on the fraud and what is being done about it. What s the PNB fraud?On Valentine s Day the PNB informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that it had detected fraudulent and unauthorised transactions amounting to Rs 11 400 crore at its Brady House branch in Mumbai. The share price of the country s second-largest public sector bank immediately plunged 9.81% dragging down shares of other public banks as well. Over the following week PNB s shares fell 28%.The fraudulent transactions involved PNB officials handing out Letters of Undertaking to companies associated with Nirav Modi allowing him to access massive foreign exchange loans that were completely unsecured.What has the government done about it?On January 28 the PNB had complained to the CBI about the fraud. The agency in turn approached Interpol to issue a notice for locating Nirav Modi his wife Ami brother Nishal and uncle Mehul Choksi all of whom had left India early in January. Soon after the Indian government suspended the passports of Nirav Modi and Choksi. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not spoken about the fraud Finance Minister Arun Jaitley sought to pass the buck. A question for managements itself is whether they were found lacking? And on the face of it the answer seems to be yes they were he was quoted as saying by The Economic Times. They were also found lacking in being able to check who among them was a delinquent. Speaking at the 41st Annual Meeting of the Association of Development Financing Institutions In Asia and the Pacific on February 20 Jaitley asked What were the bank s auditors doing? If both internal and external auditors have looked the other way and failed to detect the fraud then chartered accountants must introspect. It was left to Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to publicly articulate the government s position. She tried to throw the fraud at the Opposition s door by suggesting the wife of Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi was a shareholder in a realty firm that had leased premises to a company associated with Nirav Modi.Curiously the government has opposed petitions in the Supreme Court seeking a court-monitored enquiry by a Special Investigation Team into the fraud. Attorney General KK Venugopal argued that an investigation by the Central Bureau of Investigation was already underway so there was no need for another one. The court directed the government to file a reply and adjourned the matter to March 16. Indeed the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate have been quite active raiding properties associated with Nirav Modi and Choksi sealing stores and seizing everything from luxury cars to boxfuls of imported watches. There were reports of the agencies recovering Rs 5 100-crore worth of Nirav Modi s assets but they appeared to be of doubtful veracity.The CBI has booked Nirav Modi for fraud and arrested five officials of companies associated with him and Choksi Vipul Ambani and Arjun Patil of Firestar International Kapil Khandelwal of Nakshatra Group Niten Shahi of Gitanjali Gems and Kavita Mankikar the authorised signatory of three companies accused of fraud. It has also arrested three PNB officials Gokulnath Shetty a deputy manager at Brady House branch Manoj Kharat who operated the SWIFT financial messaging system and Rakesh Jindal head of the bank s Brady House branch from 2009 to 2011 and currently general manager of credit at the bank s head office in Delhi. They had issued Letters of Undertaking without getting proper approvals and without making entries in the core banking system the software used to support a bank s most common transactions and which acts as a record keeper Mint reported quoting the PNB s complaint.On Friday the Enforcement Directorate issued fresh summons to both Nirav Modi and Choksi asking them to appear before it on February 26. Replying to an earlier summons Nirav Modi had informed the agency he could not appear before it because his passport had been suspended reported PTI. What has the PNB done?In a letter to the PNB on February 15 a day after the bank acknowledged the fraud publicly Nirav Modi claimed the bank s overzealousness had hampered his ability to clear his dues. The erroneously cited liability resulted in a media frenzy which led to immediate search and seizure of operations which in turn resulted in Firestar International and Firestar Diamond International effectively ceasing to be going-concerns he wrote according to PTI. This thereby jeopardised our ability to discharge the dues of the group to the banks. Replying to the letter on Thursday PNB accused Nirav Modi of laundering money. You were getting LoUs issued illegally and in an unauthorised way through few bank officials The Economic Times quoted the bank as having written. At no stage such facilities were extended by our bank to the three partner firms. When these illegal activities surfaced they pointed out towards apparent violation of FEMA and money laundering aspect. It also asked Nirav Modi to come up with a plan to return the money. Your commitment and undertaking for sparing of the total liability was not backed by providing upfront amounts and timelines the bank said in its letter NDTV reported quoting PTI. However should you have any concrete and implementable plan do revert. Separately in a clarification to stock exchanges the bank claimed it had followed all lawful avenues available to us as per law of land to recover our dues .The bank has now appointed the auditor Pricewaterhouse Coopers to investigate the alleged fraud The Economic Times reported asking it to collect evidence against Nirav Modi and quantify the bank s losses from the alleged fraud.
Both Houses of Parliament were adjourned on Thursday for the fourth day in a row as members of the Telugu Desam Party an ally of the National Democratic Alliance continued to disrupt proceedings over their demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh. The Lok Sabha was adjourned at noon after protests by the TDP members and by All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam MPs from Tamil Nadu calling for a Cauvery management board to be set up.The Rajya Sabha was first adjourned till 2 pm. It reconvened only to be adjourned soon after amid sloganeering and protests. However unlike the Lower House the Rajya Sabha managed to have a one-hour discussion with members speaking about the achievements of women in India and ways to ensure their development on the occasion of International Women s Day. Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad remarked that it was nice to see the House cutting across party lines for the discussion. However the discussion did not lead to any concrete plans.In the Lok Sabha Telugu Desam Party legislators stormed the Well of the House waving placards and shouting slogans. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananthkumar requested the Speaker to continue with Question Hour even as protests continued in the Lower House. We are ready to discuss irregularities in banking sector he said. However when the commotion continued Speaker Sumitra https://issuu.com/kkamazon Mahajan adjourned the proceedings till 12 pm. When the House reconvened the uproar continued and the session was adjourned for the day. The demand for special status for Andhra Pradesh also prompted YSR Congress MPs to protest outside Parliament. Meanwhile AIADMK legislators staged a demonstration in front of Mahatma Gandhi s statue inside Parliament premises demanding the formation of the Cauvery management board.Delhi: TDP MPs protest inside Parliament premises over special category status to Andhra Pradesh pic.twitter.com/tKNTOyPq9f ANI (@ANI) March 8 2018 Delhi: YSR Congress MPs protest outside Parliament over special category status to #AndhraPradesh pic.twitter.com/GqZE9wVeP2 ANI (@ANI) March 8 2018 Delhi: AIADMK MPs stage protest in front of Mahatama Gandhi statue inside Parliament premises over #Cauvery issue (formation of Cauvery management board) pic.twitter.com/PDrLyEttw6 ANI (@ANI) March 8 2018 Broken alliance?On Wednesday Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu said the Telugu Desam Party has asked its legislators to resign from the Union Cabinet. The Bharatiya Janata Party has failed to reach out to the TDP on the special category status issue the chief minister said adding that the party will take a decision on the alliance soon. On Thursday afternoon two TDP MPs Union aviation minister Ashok Gajapati Raju and YS Chowdary met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and handed over their resignations. The TDP however said it will decide soon whether it will leave the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
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