A few months ahead of the assembly elections, chief minister Ashok Gehlot presented a populist budget with no new taxes and bumper announcements in Rajasthan Assembly on Friday. In the budget, the CM announced an inflation relief package of тВ╣19,000 crore to provide relief to the masses from rising prices.
While presenting the budget, the CM touched upon all the sections of society but refused to call it an election-bound budget. тАЬThis is not an election-bound budget. We have been presenting this kind of budget for the last four years. My target is the 2028 election,тАЭ said Gehlot.
The package includes free food packets every month to poor families, LPG cylinders for тВ╣500 under the Ujjwala Scheme and free electricity up to 100 units per month to domestic consumers and free electricity to more than 11 lakh farmers.
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Working on the directions of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Gehlot announced an act and welfare board for gig workers working in app-based companies such as Ola, Uber, and Zomato.
тАЬThe ambit of the gig economy is continuously increasing across the globe, including in Rajasthan. Their number is around 3-4 lakhs, but there is no social security for these gig workers by the companies, the chief minister said.
He added, тАЬTo support these workers and protect them from exploitation, we are bringing Gig Workers Welfare Act. Under this, a welfare board will be set up and a welfare and development fund of тВ╣200 crore will be formed.тАЭ
Despite being criticized for bringing back the тАШOld Pension SchemeтАЩ for government employees, Gehlot extended the benefits of the scheme to more than one lakh employees of government companies, boards, corporations, academies and universities.
тАЬNo new tax has been imposed in the last four budgets and reliefs were given,тАЭ he said.
He announced to increase in the coverage amount from тВ╣10 lakh to тВ╣25 lakh annually per family in his ambitious Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana.
Further, he announced giving тАШCM Annapurna food packetsтАЩ every month for free along with free rations to about one crore families coming under the purview of the National Food Security Act. тАЬThe packet will include 1kg pulses, sugar, salt and 1 litre edible oil will be made available. About тВ╣3,000 crore will be spent on this,тАЭ he added.
The CM said around 76 lakh families included in the below poverty line (BPL) and the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana will get LPG cylinders for тВ╣500 from the next financial year, on which тВ╣1,500 crore will be spent.
He announced further that domestic consumers will be given 100 units of electricity free of cost per month under the тАШChief MinisterтАЩs Electricity Free SchemeтАЩ. This limit was 50 units last year. With this, more than 1.04 crore families in the state will be able to get domestic electricity free of cost. тАЬThe state will incur a burden of тВ╣7,000 crore on this,тАЭ Gehlot said.
The CM also announced government jobs for children orphaned due to Corona epidemic on attaining adulthood. тАЬDuring the pandemic, the state government provided help to the widows and orphan children under Mukhyamantri Corona Sahayta Yojna, where these children were financial assistance of Rs1 lakh and тВ╣2500 per month till they attain the age of 18 years, thereafter they will be given тВ╣5 lakh,тАЭ Gehlot said.
Also Read: Gehlot announces LPG cylinders at тВ╣500, Gig Workers Act in Budget
Under the тАШMahatma Gandhi Minimum Guaranteed Income SchemeтАЩ, he said families will get guaranteed employment for 125 days per year and in the case of elderly/disabled/single women, a minimum pension of тВ╣1000 per month will be provided, the CM said.
Other announcements in the budget included, one-time registration fees for all state recruitment exams, at an expenditure of тВ╣200 crore; 27 new government colleges and 20 new girls colleges; 30,000 scooters to young girls under Kalibai Bheel Medhavi Chatra Scooty Yojana 2023; Free education from class I to XII under RTE Act; Milk to the children every day under Mid-Day-Meal scheme.
In the agriculture sector for which a separate budget was presented by the CM he announced, Krishak Kalyan KoshтАЩs amount to be increased from тВ╣5,000 crore to тВ╣7,500 crore, further, economic assistance per cow on account of lumpy death of тВ╣40,000, subsidy to 50,000 farmers for construction of farm ponds, subsidy to 40,000 farmers for 16,000 km pipelines, тВ╣1000 crore subsidy to 60,000 farmers for establishment greenhouse/shed net/ low tunnel/plastic mulching and free vegetable seed mini kits to 20 lakh farmers.
The chief minister also announced seven new Agriculture Colleges and Horticulture Colleges at Dugrapura-Jaipur and interest-free crop loans amounting to тВ╣22,000 crore to be distributed.
