Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has termed the State’s Budget as historic and a public welfare Budget. He said that the Budget keeps in mind all sections of the society with a special emphasis on women empowerment, employment, farmer, poor, youth and children. For the first time, the Budget has crossed over Rs2 lakh crore. Chouhan was addressing the media during Budget presentation in the State’s Vidhan Sabha.
Chouhan said that in the Budget the steps undertaken in infrastructure, particularly irrigation and agriculture are the basis of the State’s prosperity. Provision has been made of Rs37,498 for agriculture and related works and Rs17,000 crore for energy. This will increase the growth rate besides increasing per capita income. At the end of the day it is the state that flourishes. Provision of Rs650 crore has been made for Mukhya Mantri Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana to provide security to the farmers from fall in market price of crops. Onion has been included in Bhavantar. The Budget ensures adequate arrangement of food, clothes, shelter, education, medicines to the poor. Adequate fund has been provided for Mukhya Mantri Medhavi Vidyarthi Yojana.
There is provision of scholarship, hostel for Scheduled Caste, Tribe, Other Backward Class and Minority section. He told that Mukhya Mantru Rin Samadhan Yojana has been implemented for farmers, who besides being defaulter, are not able to take loan on zero percent interest. The Government will pay the interest amount under the scheme. The farmers will be able to pay the principal amount in installments and will be able to take loan on zero per cent interest.
The Chief Minister said that provision of Rs18,165 crore is no less than a boon for rural development. A network of rural roads will be laid under various schemes which is an attempt to connect each village with roads. There is provision of Rs11,932 crore for urban development. The work of group drinking water schemes for availability of drinking water during drought is commendable.
Adequate provision has been made for technical education for skill upgradation of 7.5 lakh youths and connecting 7.5 lakh youths to self-employment in the efforts of employment generation under Chief Minister’s Youth Empowerment Mission. He told that a new scheme has been launched under Public Health Family Welfare to promote Government health services in private sector in rural areas. On investment in health sector, the private sector will be provided capital subsidy of 40 per cent in rural areas and 50 per cent in Scheduled Tribe sector. Effective steps have been taken for employee welfare in the Budget.