Even though the N Chandrababu Naidu-led coalition government completed 100 days in power on September 19, it is still drawing funds under Andhra Pradesh Appropriation (vote on account no. 2) Ordinance.
Article 116 of the Constitution lays down the provision of vote on account that empowers the government to withdraw funds from the Consolidated Fund of India to meet the expenditure requirements for a limited period, usually right before an election. In this case, Andhra Pradesh assembly elections were held together with parliamentary polls and Odisha assembly elections. Both Odisha chief minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Naidu took oath on June 12. While Majhi presented the budget on July 25, Andhra government chose an unprecedented strategy and said it was trying to gauge its finances before presenting the budget. Naidu’s white paper on state finance showed Andhra has a debt burden of ₹10 lakh crore. A vote on account was passed to address financial requirements between August 1 and November 30.
As per PRS Legislative Research, an independent research body, presenting a budget soon after elections is one of the top-most priorities of a government. The budget usually sets the tone for fulfilling its political agenda. This has raised the question on how Naidu government is struggling to fund the ‘super six’ promises made during elections.”
