The five-day Budget session of the Delhi Assembly, will be an occasion for the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) to shore up its pro-poor credentials ahead of the municipal polls slated to be held in April next. The session will also see a first in the form of an ‘outcome Budget’, where the Government will put out the expected outcome of expenditure under specific heads.
It will begin with the address of lieutenant Governor Anil Baijal, his first after assuming office last December.
like last year, education and health sectors are likely to take big chunk of the Budget with around 25 per cent of the total allocation likely to be set aside for education.
The Government is also likely to allocate `350 crore as Swaraj Fund in the Budget, although it has not been able to use an equal amount under the same head as the proposal to constitute mohalla sabhas still awaits the lt Governor’s approval.
The proposal to create these hyper-local bodies, with the stated objective of decentralising governance, still awaits the nod of the lt Governor. All development work was to be implemented through participation of public at grassroot level. A fund of `253 crore was earmarked for it. During his second budget speech last year, allocation of `350 crore was earmarked for it.