Haryana Vidhan Sabha, on the ninth day of the Budget session on Thursday, witnessed fiery exchange of words between the opposition MLAs and the treasury benches during discussion on the budget proposals besides trading of charges against each other. While the BJP legislators claimed that the Budget set the tone for the future, the Congress MLAs termed the Budget as visionless and jugglery of statistics.
Participating in the discussion on budget, the senior Congress leader Bhupinder Singh Hooda said that the Government has claimed an increase of 7.9 percent in the budget, which is completely wrong as the government has presented a budget of Rs 2,05,017 crore this time, against Rs 1,89,876 crore last time. He alleged that the BJP-led Government in the State has put the state under a debt of Rs 5,16,007 crores. “From 1966 to 2014-15, the state had an internal debt of only Rs 70,000 crores, which today has become Rs 5,16,007 crores including Rs 3,52,819 internal debt, Rs 48,000 small savings, Rs 68,995 crores public sector enterprises and Rs 46,193 crores other liabilities and pending bills,” he said.
He further said that the government has shown a total income of Rs 1,27,817 crore. Out of this, Rs 1,09,700 crore, that is 85.8 percent, is spent on salary, pension and payment of loan and interest on these loans. “But an even more worrying fact is that Rs 61,230 crore is being spent on repayment of the previous loan (principal amount – Rs 35,788 crore and interest – Rs 26,531 crore). This means that even after taking the loan, the government will barely have Rs 10,212 crore left in its hands,” he added.
Hooda said that BJP has promised to give Rs 2100 per month to every woman. “Today, there are about one crore women voters in the state. To give them Rs 2100 every month, the Government needs a budget of about Rs 2100 crores per month, and a budget of about Rs 25,000 crores will be needed for the whole year. The government, however, has proposed only Rs 5000 crores for this scheme in this budget. It is beyond comprehension that how will the government give Rs 2100 every month to one crore women for a year in a budget of just 5000 crores,” he questioned.
Interrupting Hooda, State Cabinet Minister Anil Vij said, “Do not raise problems, give suggestions on sectors where funds to be allocated.” Responding, Hooda said: “If you will not allow me to speak, then I too will not allow to speak in the Assembly. Continuing, Vij said: “During Congress regime, I was hardly allowed to speak. Now people have elected me and I will speak in the House and no one can stop me.”
However, Rewari BJP MLA Lakshman Yadav put a spirited defence terming the Budget as futuristic which, he claimed, would take care of the hopes and aspirations of all sections of society and prove to be a milestone in Haryana’s history. “The initiatives in the Budget, including ‘Lado Laxmi Yojana, the Department of Future and Artificial Intelligence Mission, would put Haryana on the higher trajectory of growth,” he added.
Kaithal Congress MLA Aditya Surjewala termed the Budget as manipulation of statistics alleging that nothing concrete had been spelled out in the proposal for various sections of society including farmers, traders, youth among others. “It is the government's responsibility that people should get good education, good health, security and youth gets employment. But all these things are missing in the budget.”
BJP MLA Kanwar Singh said that the Budget estimates took care of all sections of society while another BJP leader Ram Kumar Kashyap said that Budget estimates reflected the BJP philosophy of “Sab ka Saath, Sab ka Vikas. Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal said that most of the projects for which the BJP government was claiming credit were either initiated or completed during the Congress regime.
Country, State progressed rapidly under PM's leadership for last 10 years: CM
Talking to reporters after the Budget session, the Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini criticized the opposition’s attempts to mislead the House about the budget, calling it inappropriate. He clarified that the state's outstanding loan remains at 6.67 percent of the prescribed limit, the same level as it was in 2014-15.
Reacting to Congress referring to the “non-stop” government as a “full stop” in the House, Saini said that the public has already put a full stop to Congress in the civic elections.
Saini said that for the past 10 years, both the country and the state have experienced rapid progress, highlighting the development of vast road network in the state, establishment of medical colleges in every district, colleges for girls within a 20-kilometer radius, and doubling of hospital capacities.
The Chief Minister further said that under the government's resolution to provide 24-hour electricity, about 5,600 villages are currently receiving uninterrupted power supply.
In response to a question about the opening of Shambhu and Khanauri borders in Punjab, the Chief Minister said that farmers were protesting at the sites. “The Center is also continuously talking to the farmers on their demands and has given more time for this. People should also not face any problems,” he said.
Rs 1-cr each released for 25 MLAs for development works under VAGY
CM Saini said that following the principles of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayaas’, a fund of Rs one crore each has been released to 25 MLAs for development works in their assembly constituencies in the state under the Vidhayak Adarsh Gram Yojana.
Saini, speaking during the budget session, further urged the remaining MLAs to submit the list of development works of their respective constituencies, so that the fund under the Vidhayak Adarsh Gram Yojana can be released to them at the earliest. “In the State Budget for 2025-26, an allocation of Rs five crore has been made for each MLA for development works in their constituencies. This amount will be given in three installments,” he added.
PM Gramin Awas Yojana: First instalment of Rs 151-cr released
The Chief Minister on Thursday released the first instalment of Rs 151 crore to 36,000 eligible families in the state as financial assistance to build their pucca houses under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Awas Yojana. As part of the first instalment, Rs 45,000 was transferred into the bank account of each eligible family for house construction, an official statement said.
Govt's tough stand against sellers of fake and adulterated seeds
Haryana government is set to take stringent action against individuals and companies involved in selling fake, adulterated, and substandard seeds. To address the issue, the government is enacting tougher laws. On Thursday, the Haryana Vidhan Sabha passed a bill amending the existing Seed Act, which introduces harsher penalties and fines. Once the bill is approved by the Governor and notified, it will become law. The Chief Minster said that the state government is fully committed to safeguarding the interests of farmers. He said that the amendment to the Seed Act aims to take strict action against those responsible for selling and distributing fake, adulterated, and substandard seeds in the state. The primary goal is to ensure that farmers have access to quality seeds, which will ultimately protect agricultural productivity and strengthen the economy.
Fake pesticide sellers to face strict action
The State Government is set to introduce a stringent law targeting the sale of counterfeit and substandard pesticides in the state. The House passed a bill amending the existing Insecticides Act, increasing penalties and fines for offenders.
The first Insecticides Act was introduced by the Government of India in 1968. The objective of the Insecticides Act of 1968 was to regulate the manufacture, sale, import, transportation, distribution, and use of pesticides to safeguard soil, human health, and animals from any potential harm. This Act was implemented nationwide on September 2, 1968.
According to Chief Minister Saini, the primary objective of the amendment to the Insecticide Act is to regulate and control the manufacture, sale, and distribution of fake and misbranded pesticides through stricter provisions.
