Bihar and Andhra Pradesh ‘the blue-eyed states’ get a bonanza

metro india news  I new dehi

The Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday made history as she presented a record eighth consecutive budget and as the country waited with bated breath, what came to the fore was a slew of initiatives for Bihar, it is also a co-incidence that Minister chose a off-white handloom silk saree with fish-themed embroidery and a golden border -- a tribute to Bihar's Madhubani Art.

It was a bonanza for Bihar with announcements of a Makhana Board and financial support for the western Koshi canal project, setting up a National Institute of Food Technology, Entrepreneurship, and Management (NIFTEM) in Bihar and facilitate greenfield airports in the state to meet future needs, in addition to the capacity expansions of the Patna airport and the brownfield airport in Bihta.

For Andhra Pradesh, the Polavaram project, which is the lifeline of AP, has been allocated Rs 5,936 crore in the Union Budget 2025-26. At the same time, another Rs 54 crore has been allocated to the Polavaram Project Authority. The centre has given the green signal for the construction of the project at a cost of Rs 30,436.95 crore as per the revised estimates to retain water up to 41.15 metres Polavaram balance grant is Rs 12,157.53 crore. 

In addition, more funds have been allocated to Andhra Pradesh include- Rs 3,295 crore allocated for Visakhapatnam Steel Plant, Rs 730 crore allocated for Visakhapatnam port in Union Budget, Rs 162 crore allocated for strengthening health systems in the state, Rs 186 crore allocated for zero budget natural farming in the state, Rs 375 crore allocated to support learning transformation operation, Rs 240 crore allocated for construction of roads and bridges in the state, Rs 242.50 crore allocated for phase 2 of AP Irrigation and Livelihood Improvement Project and more.

Telangana neglected

The Telangana IT & Industries Minister Duddilla Sridhar Babu stated that while election-bound and NDA-ruled states received generous allocations, Telangana was systematically sidelined despite its significant contributions to the national economy.

He pointed out that Telangana contributes 5% to India’s GDP and remitted Rs 26,000 crore in taxes to the Centre. Yet, it received an inadequate share of funds. Even as the overall budget increased by 12% from last year, Telangana was overlooked for political reasons.

He revealed that CM Revanth Reddy and Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka had repeatedly appealed for Rs 1.63 lakh crore in financial aid, but their requests were completely ignored. 

Key infrastructure projects such as Hyderabad Metro Phase-2 (Rs 17,212 crore), urban drainage modernization, and Musi River rejuvenation (Rs 4,000 crore) were all denied central funding, despite their importance to the state’s growth.

Irrigation and Civil Supplies Minister Capt Uttam Kumar Reddy slammed the Union Budget 2025-26, calling it anti-farmer, anti-poor. He went on to add that she quoted the legendary Telugu poet Gurajada Appa Rao who said, 'Desamante Matti Kaadoi, Desamante Manushuloi' meaning-“A country is not just its soil, a country is its people.' Ironically, while drawing strength from the words of a Telugu poet, she chose to completely overlook the Telugu state of Telangana in her budget.