tadepalligudem l sunday l february 15, 2026 l `12.00 l PAGES 26 l city EDITION Historic `53,752 Crore outlay for Agriculture Budget Govt has unveiled a massive `53.7k crore Agri budget, marking one of the largest allocations for the farm sector in the State’s history `6,000Cr Boost for capital city Amaravati First State to have its own wealth fund A world-class capital for Andhra Pradesh takes a step forward. The coalition government has allocated `6,000 crore in the 2026-27 budget for the construction of Amaravati city. This allocation dominates the MAUD department’s budget, with additional loans of `836.30 crore to APCRDA and `850 crore to APTIDCO boosting capital flows ■ ■ AP to set up a wealth fund on the lines of NIIF with an initial allocation of `100 crore, aiming to attract investments The state expects the Wealth Fund to grow into a massive fund, akin to Norway and Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth funds, potentially generating enough wealth to support the state’s needs | P2, P4, P5 30,000 crores to develop rayalaseema as global horticulture hub CHENNAI ■ MADURAI ■ VIJAYAWADA ■ BENGALURU ■ KOCHI ■ HYDERABAD ■ VISAKHAPATNAM ■ COIMBATORE ■ KOZHIKODE ■ THIRUVANANTHAPURAM ■ BELAGAVI ■ BHUBANESWAR ■ SHIVAMOgGA ■ MANGALURU ■ TIRUPATI ■ TIRUCHY ■ TIRUNELVELI ■ SAMBALPUR ■ HUBBALLI ■ DHARMAPURI ■ KOTTAYAM ■ KANNUR ■ VILLUPURAM ■ KOLLAM ■ TADEPALLIGUDEM ■ NAGAPATTINAM ■ THRISSUR ■ KALABURAGI AP budget 2026-27 @ `3.32 Lakh Crore Aims for high-income economy by 2047 10 Guiding Principles for a Wealthy, Healthy and Happy AP fiscal strain to future-ready This budget prepares Andhra Pradesh not just for tomorrow, but for the next generation balancing ambition with responsibility to build a stronger, selfreliant and future-ready state Payyavula Kesav, Finance Minister S V i s w a n at h @ Vijayawada The NDA government presented a better budget under the existing circumstances, much better ones will be introduced in the coming years. We’re managing the situation with Union government’s cooperation CM Chandrababu Naidu Today’s budget is a 360° balanced growth model that takes forward all sectors, from village to global level, in education, health, industry, infrastructure, youth, women empowerment and technology Dy CM Pawan Kalyan The Andhra Pradesh State government proposed the budget with an outlay of `3,32,205 crore for the financial year 2026-27. Introducing the Budget 2026-27 in the AP Legislative Assembly on Saturday, Finance Minister Payyavula Keshav elaborated that while the revenue expenditure is estimated at `2,56,143 crore, the capital expenditure is estimated at `53,915 crore. The estimated revenue deficit is around `22,002 crore and the fiscal deficit is around `75,868 crore. The revenue deficit will be around 1.11 percent and fiscal deficit will be around 3.84 per cent of GSDP . The revised estimate for revenue expenditure for FY 2025-26 is `2,38,021 crore, and for capital expenditure it is `39,498 crore. The revenue deficit is around `41,118 crore, whereas the fiscal deficit is around `80,567 crore. The revenue deficit is 2.33 percent and fiscal deficit is 4.57 per cent of GSDP . As anticipated, equal priority was given to the welfare and development in the budget. Apart from increased estimates of the capital expenditure, significant Keshav lauds PM Modi, FM Nirmala Payyavula Keshav acknowledged Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s significant support to Andhra Pradesh during challenging times. Keshav also thanked Union FM Nirmala Sitharaman for her role in reviving the Polavaram project, reducing debt burden through debt swapping and extending other forms of support allocations were for the SC, ST, BC components and the welfare of Minority communities, Women and Children. `51,012 crore was earmarked for the BC component, `20,644 crore for the SC component, `9,190 crore for the ST component, `6,090 crore for the welfare of Minority communities, `4,582 crore allocated for Women, Children, Differently Abled and Senior Citizens Welfare Department. First of its kind in the history of the country AP government is , proposed to set up an AP Wealth Fund with a seed corpus of `100 crore. Private equity investors will be invited to contribute to the fund to invest in opportunities across the country and generate wealth for the State. The centrepiece of the 2026-27 Budget is a major expansion in public capital expenditure, which has been raised to `53,915 crore, one of the highest l eve l s i n t h e s t a t e ’s history . This large-scale investment is designed to accelerate economic activity across transport networks, irrigation systems, energy infrastructure, urban development and industrial P5 corridors.  Bangladesh she vote was Jamaat’s nemesis Tarique’s oath taking: BNP set to invite Modi j aya n t h j a c o b @ New Delhi BNP head Tarique Rahman greets supporters after his party won the election, in Dhaka | PTI W WITH THIS ISSUE P AGES The Great Indian Art Mafia PLUS 12 E x p r ess r e a d Cricket talk after off-field powerplay Colombo: WHEN Saturday dawned, a fair few couples headed to the picturesque Galle Face Beach in the heart of the city’s Central Business District to exchange their wedding vows. A few hours later, though, tension was rising inside the press conference room at the R Premadasa Stadium, six kms away from the beach. There were questions on politics, and diplomacy before some cricket finally broke through. It’s been that kind of a build-up to the latest installment of IndiaPakistan cricket match which is P11 scheduled on Sunday  omen in Bangladesh follow a distinct colour code on national red-letter days. On Poila Baisakh, 15 April, the lal paar shada shari — white with a red border — is donned to usher in the Bengali New Year. On Bijoy Dibas, 16 December, marking the 1971 surrender of the Pakistan Army in Dhaka, the palette turns green. On 21 February black is worn as , homage to those killed in Dhaka in 1952 for seeking national language status for Bengali as well as Urdu. Today too, has its own special colour: , bright yellow in a range of hues. Across Bangladesh, women in sunshine sarees, flowers woven into their hair, are celebrating basanta utsav, the advent of spring. They are also celebrating the verdict in the just-concluded election. The fact that BNP has had a landslide with 212 seats and the Monideepa Jamaat-e-Islami was Banerjie held at 77 is, for Veteran journalist many women, a big relief. “Though I am traditionally an Awami League voter, I voted BNP this time,” said a 42-year-old woman in Dhaka’s upmarket Banani who works in the social sector. “Anything to keep the Jamaat out. Because of them I had packed away my track suits and sleeveless blouses. Now I can use them again. This is not frivolous. The Jamaat had cast a long shadow on women.” Ordinary women who ventured out in trousers instead of traditional attire were heckled, even assaulted, for the way they dressed. Often, the hecklers were women supporters of Jamaat. The party did not field a single woman candidate, possibly the only party to do so. Continued on: P9  THE Bangladesh Nationalist Party is set to invite Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the swearing-in ceremony of Tarique Rahman, signalling a possible push to normalise ties following a bruising period in Dhaka–New Delhi relationship. Rahman, Bangladesh’s prime minister-in-waiting, is expected to take office in the coming days after the BNP secured a landslide victory in the 13th national parliamentary elections, handing him a commanding mandate. Humayun Kabir, foreign policy adviser to Rahman said: “Region is important to us... There is a sense of priority in sending out invitations for the inauguration.” He framed the invitation to Modi as a goodwill gesture. Relations between Dhaka and New Delhi turned frosty following the ouster of former PM Sheikh Hasina, whose g ove r n m e n t h a d maintained close ties with India. Against that backdrop, Modi’s swift This victory outreach to Rahman belongs to democracy.. to after the election repeople who aspired sult was seen as a to and have significant outreach. sacrificed for Modi was the first democracy world leader to telephone Rahman folTarique Rahman lowing the BNP’s victory . Rahman said his government’s foreign policy will be anchored firmly in national interest. “We have cleared ourselves regarding the foreign policy, which is the interest of Bangladesh, and the interest of Bangladeshi people comes first,” Rahman said when asked about mending ties with India. The careful phrasing suggests a balancing act ahead. At a press conference a day after the BNP’s sweeping win, Rahman struck a tone of triumph tempered by caution. He dedicated the victory to citizens who “sacrificed for democracy.” “This victory belongs to Bangladesh, democracy and people who aspired to and have sacrificed for democracy,” he said. ILLUSTRATION: sourav roy