Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, while speaking during the ongoing Budget session of the State Vidhan Sabha on Tuesday, said that unlike the previous governments, the current state government has presented the need based budget rather than demand based budget. The public has full confidence in the present government, he added.

Khattar, who also holds the Finance portfolio, on Friday announced waiver of interest and penalty on certain crop loans and did not hike taxes as he presented a Rs 1.89 lakh crore budget for 2024-25 financial year.

Khattar said that the government is working on the principle of underprivileged hold the first right to the state’s resources. Highlighting the eradication of traditional governance practices, when the development was restricted to only one assembly constituency or district, he said that the present state government's focus is on addressing the real needs of the people rather than merely catering to political demands. He further said that the budget presented by the present state government reflects this ethos, symbolizing a government that is truly of, by, and for the people.

While speaking on the role of fiscal management, the Chief Minister said that the fundamental principle of the budget is receipts and expenditure, where even a difference of 1 paisa cannot occur.

Speaking on the State Own Tax Revenue, he said that in the year 2001-02, this figure was Rs. 4,971 crore, which has been projected to be Rs. 84,551 crore in the budget estimate for the year 2024-25, showing an increase of more than 20 times. Our State Own Tax Revenue has increased, which indicates development, as a result of which our GSDP has also increased. According to the FRBM Act, the state can take loans up to 3 percent of the GSDP. In the budget estimates for the year 2024-25, it is estimated to be 2.77 percent, said the Chief Minister.

Khattar further shared that in the fiscal year 2014-15, the effective revenue deficit was 1.90 percent, which remained at 0.65 percent in the revised estimate for 2023-24 and is proposed to be 0.9 percent in the budget estimate for the year 2024-25. It is hoped that it will remain below 1 percent. We are consistently making improvements in this regard, he said.

 The Chief Minister said that his government is working with the spirit of Antyodaya. Efforts are being made to uplift those at the bottom of the socio-economic pyramid and to make their lives prosperous. The poor hold the first right to government resources.

He said that the government has formed the Haryana Income Enchantment Board viz (Haryana Aay Vridhi Board) so that the income of the poor people can be increased and they can be financially strengthened.

“The slogan of ‘Roti kapda Makan’, we have added ‘Shiksha, Swasthya aur Samman’. Efforts are being made to improve the lives of everyone by giving good governance to every citizen. The present state government is moving ahead in the direction of making Haryana a 7-star state, i.e ‘Shiksha, Swasthya, Suraksha, Swabhiman, Swavalamban, Sewa and Sushashan’,” he added.

The Chief Minister, while presenting comparative figures of crime, said that in the ten years from 2005 to 2014, there was an annual increase rate of 3.9 percent in murder cases, which has now decreased to minus 0.51 percent since 2014. Similarly, the rate of dacoity has decreased from 7.73 to minus 3.90, robbery from 9.38 percent to 3.23 percent, snatching from 10.86 percent to 4.53 percent, rape from 10.86 percent to 5.01 percent, cases of assault on women from 18.02 percent to 2.62 percent, kidnapping of minor from 22.61 percent to 3.49 percent, attacks on government employees from 4.41 percent to minus 2.81, and the rate of dowry deaths has decreased from 3.66 to minus 4.1.

He said that the result of the examination conducted for Group-C posts will be declared soon. Apart from this, recruitment is also being done for PGT and Police. In this way, more than 43,000 recruitments will be done in the coming days.

Jhajjar to have Police Commissionerate

Khattar has made four major announcements including establishment of a police commissionerate in Jhajjar, the elimination of the 1 percent Haryana Rural Development Fund (HRDF) levied on  Sabzi Mandis (vegetable markets), the conferment of proprietary rights to 2719 families residing in four villages, who have built their  houses on the land of Government Livestock Farm, Hisar and the inception of a High-Level Task Force dedicated to Mission Haryana-2047.

He said that Jhajjar district, adjacent to the National Capital Region, will now be made a Police Commissionerate. The Commissioner of Police will be deployed there for law enforcement. Previously, Police Commissionerates were already in place for Faridabad, Gurugram, and Sonipat.

Data of all departments to be digitised in State

Khattar announced that the data of all departments will be digitised in the state. For this purpose, digital record rooms will be set up at the headquarters and district levels. Apart from the budget for 2024-25, if required, provision for the same will also be made in the upcoming supplementary budget estimates for this purpose. He said that the government had started digitizing the records of the Revenue department from the Kaithal district, and today the records of the entire department have been digitized.

Digital Legislative Business Module launched on the website of the Haryana Vidhan Sabha, records from 1966 to date digitally available Vidhan Sabha Speaker Gian Chand Gupta took a significant step by digitizing the complete records of the Assembly. The complete record of the Assembly from 1966 to date will be available digitally on this website.

Khattar said that every work being executed under Karnal Smart City is done in a fair and  transparent manner. There is no corruption of any kind going on in these works. However, if any MLA gives a written complaint of any irregularity, the government will certainly examine, and if someone is found guilty, action will be taken against them, assured Khattar while responding during the question hour.

Khattar said that the provisions made for reservation for Scheduled Castes and Backward Classes are being adhered to in the engagement process of  the manpower deployed by Haryana Kaushal Rozgar Nigam. Currently, there is 15.64 percent manpower against the 16 percent reservation for BC-A and 11.4 percent against the 11 percent reservation for BC-B. Additionally, there are 20.63 percent employees belonging to the Scheduled Caste.

Oppn dismisses State budget as 'hollow'; while BJP MLAs described budget as development-oriented

While debating on the budget proposals, the Opposition MLAs dismissed the state budget as "hollow", claiming that it has left various sections including farmers and women disappointed. On the other hand, BJP MLAs described the budget as development-oriented, saying it will take Haryana on the path of progress.

BJP's Bhavya Bishnoi said Chief Minister Khattar has kept welfare provisions for various sections in mind while preparing the budget. He said the budget also kept the welfare of farmers in mind and added "the chief minister, who is a farmer's son, understands the pain of farmers".

Bishnoi, the MLA from Adampur, alleged that Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda, while making a reference to the murder of INLD state chief Nafe Singh Rathee, had made a mention of "Bishnoi gang" and defamed the Bishnoi community.

However, former Haryana chief minister Hooda asked the BJP member not to spread "falsehood" as he had only referred to some reports which had talked about "Lawrence Bishnoi gang" in connection with INLD leader's murder in Bahadurgarh on Sunday. "I did not refer to or mention the name of the community as is being claimed," Hooda said.

INLD's lone MLA Abhay Singh Chautala said treasury benches praised the budget whereas the debt has been mounting. There is only an increase of Rs 6,000 crore in budget size in FY 2024-25 as compared to the previous year, Chautala said, while adding the government is "borrowing heavily". The state has been pushed into debt trap, he alleged. The government is not serious in carrying out development works, he further said.

Congress' Balbir Singh also said that during the previous Congress regime in Haryana, 2.5 lakh houses were built under the Indra Awas Yojana while 100 square yard plots were given to the poor. He said the present government "should not deceive" the poor with mere promises and give them 100 square yard plots like the ones by the previous regime.
     
Two bills passed

Two bills were passed on the fifth day of Haryana Vidhan Sabha.  These bills include the Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Haryana Amendment Bill, 2024 and the Haryana Antarrashtriya Gita Jayanti Mela Authority Bill, 2024.