Absence of state's name in budget doesn't mean funds weren't allocated: Union Minister Murugan Vijayawada

Union Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, L Murugan, on Saturday said that the absence of a state's name in the Union Budget does not mean that funds were not allocated to them.

He claimed that states are always getting “sufficient” funds from the Centre. “Absence of the name of a state in the Union Budget does not mean no funds were allocated to it. Uttar Pradesh was not mentioned, Rajasthan was not mentioned. Even Madhya Pradesh was not mentioned. It does not mean that sufficient funds were not allocated,” he told reporters.

Further, he said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his commitment to the people of Andhra Pradesh during his visit to the state earlier that, similar to Viksit Bharat (developed India), the government will also go ahead for Viksit Andhra Pradesh.

Earlier, addressing a press conference, the Union Minister highlighted several allocations made to the southern state in the Union Budget 2024-25. Customs duty exemption on shrimp production, impetus to natural farming, and Rs 168 crore funds for the establishment of a petroleum university were among the developments which will benefit Andhra Pradesh, he added. Murugan noted that Rs 9,151 crore was allocated for railway projects in Andhra Pradesh.