Hyderabad, Feb 18: Though the Finance Minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy has presented massive budget of Rs. 1, 45,854 crore for the year 2012-13, the quantum of central funds he hopes to receive is a whopping Rs. 20,000 for the 11 flagship welfare schemes. This amount has been infused into the state budget. The center has so far not presented the nation’s budget, as there were polls in five states.

The general practice is to take the share of the center into account, as per the budgetary provision. Now as the center has not yet come up with its budget, Anam has presumed that the state would receive about Rs. 20,000 crore. “If it does not happen, there will be a problem” an official is quoted to have said by a newspaper.

The Planning Commission has indicated to the state government that there would be a massive increase in the budgetary allocations for the 11 flagship schemes of the UPA government like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment scheme (MGNREGS), National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission (JNNURM), Rajiv Vidya Mission (RVM), Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY), Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS), Mid day Meal Scheme, Sarva Siksha Abhiyan and Madhyamik Vidya ission. Funds for these schemes have been hiked by more than 20 % in the 12th Five Year Plan and the same was being reflected in the state budget for 2012-13, said sources.

Despite the budget being rather very heavy, there is criticism that priority sectors like irrigation, education, health, scholarships and fees reimbursement have not received enough. There is criticism that the Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy has put his own stamp on the budget, trying to take the credit for welfare schemes away from his illustrious predecessor Dr. Y S Rajasekhara Reddy. There is also criticism that the Chief Minister is not showing interest in YSR’s prestigious project ‘Jala Yagnam’.