The Municipal Administration and Urban Development Department has been allocated ₹6,587 crore, which is 2.89% of the overall State’s budget presented on Friday. The total budget allocation was 14.90% lesser than the previous year’s allocation.
As in the overall budget, the government has focussed on welfare schemes that would be carried out in the 110 Urban Local Bodies through the department.
A major portion of the budget — ₹1,000 crore — has been allocated for YSR Urban Housing, while the Andhra Pradesh Township & Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd has been given only ₹300 crore assistance as against ₹1,000 crore in the previous budget estimates.
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Ward Volunteer system
A whopping ₹648 crore has been allocated for YSR Interest-free loans to urban self-help groups, which was ₹463 crore in last budget, and only ₹204 crore (revised estimate) was spent.
To have Ward Volunteer and Ward Secretariat system, which is one of the Navaratnas, ₹280 crore for volunteers and ₹180 crore for secretariats has been allocated.
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Infrastructure
For infrastructure and development projects in the State, about ₹1700 crore has been allocated towards smart cities, assistance to Urban Local Bodies of Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam, infrastructure facilities in Schedule Caste localities and others.
Mangalagiri town will be developed as Model Town with a budget of ₹50 crore. However, the allocations for improvement of solid waste management sites in the ULBs was only about ₹55 crore.
A sum of ₹90 crore has been earmarked towards occupation health allowance to outsourced public health workers.
The Tax Payers’ Association in a release said the government had ignored ULBs where 30% of the State’s population lived, by allocating meagre funds.