JAIPUR: Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday presented the Budget for 2019-20 which proposed a Rs 1,000 crore fund for farmers' welfare apart from various schemes in irrigation, renewable energy and health sectors.
Presenting the Budget in the Rajasthan assembly, Gehlot said a separate feeder at a cost of Rs 5,200 crore will be established to provide uninterrupted electricity supply to farmers. He added that it is a people's Budget and has been prepared considering their sentiments and suggestions."
"We have made efforts to include the suggestions and sentiments of the people. The Budget was prepared after discussion with all sections of the society. Achieving new heights in development would be a priority of the state government," Gehlot said presenting the Budget.
Gehlot announced a Rs 1,000 crore farmers' welfare fund, a policy for new and renewable energy projects, set a target of Rs 16,000 crore crop loans from cooperative banks and said 'Nandi Shala' will be built in each gram panchayat. The chief minister also announced Rs 927 crore for state highways, Janta Clinics on the lines of Mohalla Clinics in Delhi, a new policy for electric vehicles, and said no permission will be required for MSMEs for the first three years.
He also announced including 104 types of new medicines in the state government's free medicine scheme and Rs 1,000 crore assistance under the CM Youth Employment Scheme. Besides, 75,000 vacant positions will be filled in various government departments to provide jobs to the youth. This year, about 75 thousand posts in various departments of the state announced recruitment. Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said that in the rural areas, unemployed but skilled women cannot start their own work due to the lack of capital. For this, CM Gehlot announced the 'Chief Minister Yuva Rozgar Yojna'. One lakh rupees loan will be provided to the youth in this scheme. In the next 5 years, a total of one thousand crore credit will be distributed through RIICO, RFC, SCST / OBC / Minorities Finance Corporation. Under this scheme, 25 thousand youth will be benefitted this year.
Gehlot said, "this budget has been made with a positive mindset. The idea is not just to have it in the paper but to implement it on the ground. He also asserted that officials who help to implement it effectively will be our favourites and those who display an irresponsible attitude can imagine how they can be penalised.
The chief minister also criticised the previous BJP government for improper implementation of the UDAY scheme in the state. He said the previous government had claimed that Discoms will be rescued from the financial crisis, but the scheme was implemented without planning. He said the state's debt has increased due to poor financial planning of the previous government, which took huge loans without much thought.
The BJP has termed the budget completely hollow and said that after raising the VAT on petrol and diesel, the government has given a blow of Rs 10,000 crore to the public and by giving relief of three hundred crore in the budget, the government has tried to appease the masses. Deputy opposition leader Rajendra Rathod said that this budget is completely directionless. "It is anti-farmer, anti-youth and 16 lakh farmers are still cursing the government. They were cheated in the name of farmers' loan waiver. This budget is something else on the budget floor and something else in the paper. The loss of the Congress in the Lok Sabha elections has shocked them and Ashok Gehlot is responsible for it", he added.