The Andhra Pradesh Assembly budget session is scheduled to begin on February 5. The session begins with the address of Governor S Abdul Nazeer to the joint session of the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

The Business Advisory Committee of the Assembly which would be held immediately after the Governor’s address would decide how many days that the session should be held and the business of the house, including the presentation of the vote on account budget.

The state cabinet which met here on Wednesday also decided to have the budget session from February 5. As the elections are round the corner, the government wants the session to be brief and is limited to three to five days.

The government is planning to have the session for three to five days. The vote on account budget is likely to be around Rs 75,000 crore. Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath would table the budget in the house. As this is the election year, the budget would mostly focus on the welfare programmes and some industrial development. The chief minister wants the budget to give highest priority to the welfare programmes.

The Jagan Mohan Reddy government had presented a Rs 2.91 lakh crore budget for 2023-24 financial year. This time, the budget may cross Rs 3 lakh crore mark, and this would be presented only after the elections and the formation of the new government.

The chief minister wants to go to the elections by showing the budget to the people which would focus only on the welfare programmes. The chief minister is confident that people would give him one more chance as he had rolled out welfare programmes to every house in the last 57 months. The vote on account budget will have only the welfare programmes.

The AP Assembly on Wednesday suspended two opposition TDP MLAs and the lone YSR Congress rebel MLA from the rest of the budget session, which concludes on March 24. TDP MLAs Payyavula Keshav and Nimmala Rama Naidu were suspended from the house for the rest of the session.

They were suspended for making remarks against chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy alleging that the Chief Minister did not respect the Government when the former came to the Assembly to address the joint session on the first day of the session. The TDP members alleged that it was wrong on the part of the chief minister to disrespect the Governor.

Speaker Thammineni Sitaram took strong objection to the allegation made by the TDP members. Minister for Legislative Affairs Buggana Rajendranadh said that the members were misleading the house for political gains.

As the TDP members continued to raise slogans and allegations of violation of protocol when the Governor visited the House, the speaker requested them to retire to their seats. As they refused to withdraw their protest, the legislative affairs minister proposed suspension of the members from the house for the rest of the session. The house adopted the resolution for which the entire TDP members held a protest.

The TDP members walked to the podium and raised slogans against the suspension of their members. As they did not stop the agitation despite the speaker’s requests, the legislative affairs minister moved another motion suspending 10 TDP MLAs from the House for the rest of the day.

Meanwhile, YSR Congress rebel MLA, Kotamreddy Sridhar Reddy, held a protest in the House seeking developmental works in his Nellore Rural constituency. Though the speaker requested the member to give a representation to the government on the constituency issues, Sridhar Reddy continued to hold a protest in the house holding a placard.

It was then the legislative affairs minister moved a motion seeking suspension of Sridhar Reddy for the rest of the session, till March 24.

The stage is all set for the winter session of the AP Assembly from September 15. Assembly Speaker, Thammineni Sitaram and Council chairman Koyye Moshen Raju, held a meeting with the officials at the legislature secretariat in Velagapudi on Wednesday.

The Speaker and the chairman told the officials to give information to the MLAs and the MLCs during the session. They also asked the officials to be available around the Legislature to give information to both the Houses.

The Speaker and the chairman also held a brief meeting with DGP K V Rajendranath Reddy and other senior officials on the security arrangements. The speaker told the police officials to ensure that there are no traffic issues during the session. He also told the police to ensure clear flow of traffic even in the villages on all days of the session.

Meanwhile, it is said that the government is in favour of having the session for just five days. The House would meet on Thursday and Friday. It would resume on Monday after the break and would be closed on Wednesday. However, a decision is to be taken at the Business Advisory Committee meeting to be held on the first day of the session.

Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy had reportedly decided to have a discussion on three capitals issue, where he is planning to give a powerpoint presentation. The chief minister is also said to be in favour of having short duration discussions on health, agriculture, education, family welfare, women empowerment, state borrowings during this session.

The chief minister had told the ministers and the MLAs to come prepared to speak on the issues and counter the campaign by the opposition.

Speaker of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Tammineni Seetaram, adjourned the House sine die after passing the Appropriation Bill 2022 and Appropriation (No. 2) Bill 2022 by voice vote here on Friday.

The session witnessed stormy scenes between the ruling YSRCP and the opposition TDP, with the latter attacking the ruling party over the hooch deaths in Jangareddygudem and its MLAs being repeatedly suspended during the session.

Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s recent statement that the TDP had purchased Pegasus spyware during its tenure at the helm provided YSRCP the ammunition.

The Assembly had on Monday unanimously decided to constitute a House committee on the Pegasus row in the wake of the recent statement by Banerjee.

In the ongoing Budget session, which commenced on March 7, the House sat for 12 days from March 8 to 25 and passed 11 Bills. The session also saw oral replies being given to 96 questions, while 30 star questions and three unstarred questions recieved answers.

The Speaker said that the Assembly worked for 61 hours and 45 minutes, where one report was presented and five short discussions were held, besides 103 speeches made by the members.

The Legislative Assembly of Andhra Pradesh was adjourned sine die, after the passage of the Andhra Pradesh Appropriation Vote on Account Bill, 2021, Andhra Pradesh Appropriation Bill No.2, 2021 and Andhra Pradesh Appropriation Bill No 3, 2021, in the single-day budget session held on Thursday.

Finance Minister Buggana Rajendranath Reddy tabled the three Appropriation Bills that are required to meet the supplementary grants made by the State Assembly for the year and supplementary expenditure charged on the consolidated fund of the state of Andhra Pradesh for that year. The Bills were passed by voice vote.

Earlier in the day, the finance minister presented the budget for the year 2021-22, with an outlay of Rs 2,29,779. 27 crore, combining welfare priorities with development.

The state legislative assembly also passed Andhra Pradesh Medical Education and Research Corporation Bill 2021, Andhra Pradesh Survey And Boundaries Amendment Bill 2021, Andhra Pradesh Municipal Laws Amendment Bill, 2021 and Andhra Pradesh Municipal Laws Second Amendment Bill 2021. It withdrew the Andhra Pradesh Electricity Duty Bill 2015.

The House also adopted a resolution to oppose the Centre’s decision on 100% strategic disinvestment of Government of India’s shareholding in Rashtriya Ispat Nigam Limited, Vishakapatnam, along with the management control by the way of privatisation. It also resolved to request the Government of India to consider the measures, suggested by the Andhra Pradesh chief minister, to make RINL profitable and remain the pride of Telugu people and the State of Andhra Pradesh.

The Assembly also adopted a resolution to request the Government of India, Ministry of Civil Aviation to change the name of Orvakal Airport, Kurnool as “UYYALAWADA NARASIMHAREDDY AIRPORT, KURNOOL”

The state egislative assembly was later adjourned sine die by Speaker Tammineni Sitaram.

The Andhra Pradesh Assembly on Monday passed the Panchayat Raj Amendment Bill amid protests from the opposition TDP members.

The TDP members demanded that the bill be reconsidered while Chief Minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy contended that the bill had already been comprehensively debated in the Assembly and sent to the Legislative Council.

The TDP members urged Speaker Tammineni Sitaram to allow discussion on the Bill. The Speaker that the Legislative Council had sent the Bill to the Assembly seeking amendments. But, the TDP members have demanded the Speaker to take up discussion.

Later, the TDP members walked out from the legislative assembly in protest against the passage of the Panchayat Raj Amendment Bill without discussion. Minister Kanna Babu remarked that the TDP does not see any other farmers except the Amaravati farmers. He said that CM Jagan would fulfill every promise given to the farmers.