Kumari also announced a reduction in Value Added Tax (VAT) on CNG-PNG from 14.5 per cent to 10 per cent. This means that CNG and PNG will now be cheaper in Rajasthan.
The Rajasthan government, he added, will develop the Khatu Shyam corridor.
“The land of Rajasthan has a different attraction for devotees who come from across the country for its temples and places of worship. Our central government under the leadership of the Hon’ble Prime Minister has infused a new enthusiasm in the country by making Ayodhya and Kashi Vishwanath great according to the faith of the devotees. In the same vein, I am announcing a provision of Rs 100 crore to give greatness to Khatu Shyamji,” he said.
The state government also announced that with immediate effect, vice-chancellors of state universities will be addressed as ‘Kulguru’ instead of ‘Kulpati’.
“In order to improve the standard of higher and technical education by reviving the tradition of guru-disciple relationship, it is proposed to confer the title of ‘Kulguru’ on the Vice-Chancellors of the universities in the state. Also with a view to expanding higher education in the state and further strengthening the technical education system… with a view to making medical education accessible to students from the underprivileged sections of the society also, arrangements will be made to provide education through the medium of Hindi,” the budget document reads.
Kumari had tabled a vote on the bill in the Assembly on February 8, and this was the first comprehensive budget presented by her.
The state government has estimated its fiscal deficit at 3.93 per cent in 2024-25, down from 3.76 per cent in 2023-24. This marks a break in the trend of declining fiscal deficits since the pandemic in 2020, when the fiscal deficit shot up to 5.83 per cent in FY 2020-21, before falling in FY 2021-22 (4.04 per cent) and FY 2022-23 (3.76 per cent).
The state is expecting an 11 per cent growth in its revenue to Rs 2.37 lakh crore in FY 2024-25 as compared to the revised estimates of FY 2023-24. Within this, its own tax revenue is expected to grow by 13.5 per cent, while the state’s revenue as a share of central taxes will grow by 19.6 per cent.
The state government expects its revenue expenditure, which includes salaries, pensions and subsidies, to grow by 8.4 percent.
Notably, it has budgeted a lower capital expenditure for fiscal year 2024-25 at Rs 2.05 lakh crore, which is 1.9 per cent lower than the revised estimates for fiscal year 2023-24.
Read also: ‘Zukham’s pneumonia ban’: BJP leaders say opposition tactics, infighting and caste factor hurting party in Rajasthan
Willingness to celebrate festivities with “full joy and devotion”
In its budget, the government has also provided for celebration of festivals like Diwali, Holi, Shivratri and Ram Navami, among others, “with full joy and devotion”. An amount of Rs 13 crore has been earmarked for this purpose, which will be used for general decoration and organisation of aarti in around 600 temples.
The issue of women’s safety, which the opposition had been raising, was a key plank of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) manifesto ahead of the Assembly elections.
In the budget, the BJP government has said that to create a “comfortable and safe environment for girls/women in the state, (along with) formation of Anti-Romeo squads in each district, women help posts will be set up in the remaining 174 police stations.”
The Finance Minister also announced the ‘Ladli Suraksha Yojana’ initiative, under which CCTV cameras will be installed at public places, girls’ hostels and Nari Nikentans on priority basis in each district for “effective prevention of crime and abuse of girls/women”.
“It is proposed to strengthen the Nirbhaya squads and expand them to 500 Kaalika patrolling units to prevent atrocities against children and women in the state. In the first phase, 250 Kaalika patrolling units will be formed,” he said.
The Rajasthan Budget came at a time when the ruling BJP lost 11 of the 25 seats in the Lok Sabha elections.
The government has also promised an Armed Forces Museum.
Presenting the full fiscal budget, Kumari said that 400,000 vacancies will also be filled in the next five years and a policy will be framed for job creation for youth.
He also made an announcement of “one state, one election” in Rajasthan, meaning that municipal and Panchayat elections will now be held simultaneously.
Sainik schools for girls will also be opened at the divisional level, and Anganwadi children will be provided with milk three days a week, the budget document said.
Kumari also announced that around 33,000 meritorious students will be provided free tablets and internet over the next three years, and 400,000 government jobs will be given to people in five years.
“In the vote on the bill, recruitment for 70,000 posts was announced. During our tenure, 20,000 youth have been recruited. It is proposed to increase the target this year and recruit more than one lakh people. We propose time-bound recruitment every year. We will provide employment by conducting time-bound recruitment examination every year. Apart from this, 5,500 new posts will be created in Rajasthan Police and 1,500 traffic volunteers will be appointed in big cities,” the Finance Minister said.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
Read also: BJP reviews Rajasthan election debacle, cites over-reliance on brand Modi, ‘400 paar’ slogan and farmers’ agitation
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