AP Budget 2026 Presented in Assembly With Focus on Growth Welfare and Investments

• AP Budget 2026 prioritises agriculture welfare and infrastructure growth.
• Major allocations announced for social security health and education.
• Three economic zones planned to boost investment and jobs.

The Andhra Pradesh government on Friday presented the Budget for the financial year 2026 in the State Assembly, with Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav outlining a roadmap aimed at growth welfare and investment driven development. The budget presentation began amid high expectations from people across the state, especially farmers youth and women.

Introducing the budget, the Finance Minister said the government has designed the financial plan in line with the Swarna Andhra 2047 vision. He stressed that agriculture remains the backbone of the state economy, supporting nearly 62 percent of the population through farming and allied sectors. Priority has been given to food processing demand driven crops and farmer centric reforms. The government also announced that farmers will soon be provided with a unique identification number and weather based alerts through mobile messaging.

A key welfare announcement was free electricity for handloom workers and power loom workers from April. Handloom workers will receive 200 units of free power every month, while power loom workers will get up to 500 units. The government also allocated funds for police modernisation, including three thousand new vehicles and land for a new AP Police Academy.

The total size of the AP Budget 2026 stands at rupees 3,32,205 crore. The fiscal deficit is estimated at rupees 75,868 crore, while the revenue deficit is projected at rupees 22,002 crore. Capital expenditure has been pegged at rupees 53,915 crore.

Major sector wise allocations include rupees 27,719 crore for NTR Bharosa pensions, rupees 9668  crore for Thalliki Vandanam, rupees 19,306 crore for health services, and rupees 32,308 crore for school education. Agriculture and irrigation together received significant funding, with nearly rupees 9906 crore for irrigation projects and rupees 11,118 crore for agriculture.

The government announced the creation of three major economic zones across the state. Amaravati Economic Region will cover nine districts, while Visakhapatnam Economic Region will include ten districts with an allocation of rupees 28,000 crore. Rayalaseema will be developed as a global horticulture hub with an investment of rupees 30,000 crore.

Addressing the Assembly, the Finance Minister said the budget marks a shift from destruction to development, accusing the previous regime of leaving behind heavy debt and financial stress. He asserted that the current coalition government has created a business friendly environment and improved the speed of doing business to attract investments and generate employment.

The cabinet approved the budget before its presentation, and the agriculture budget was scheduled to be tabled later in the day. With this budget, the government aims to balance welfare commitments with infrastructure growth and long term economic stability for Andhra Pradesh.