Keeping an eye on ensuing Assembly election in later part of the current year, the Vijay Rupani Government tried sincere effort to offer something to everyone by presenting populist Budget for the fiscal 2017-18 on Tuesday without introducing any new tax.
Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who also holds finance portfolio shown some generosity for citizens of Gujarat and offered some freebies also announcing subsidised computer tablets to 3.5 lakh first year college students, 100 smart schools for poor students, free uniforms and textbooks for more than 60 lakh students, 45,000 bicycle for girl students and complete exemption to female students studying in medicine.
While presenting the total size of Rs 1.72 lakh crore state-budget Patel announced that Gujarat would rollout Goods & Service Tax (GST) from July 2017 and that all the taxes above Rs 10,000 would have to be paid via e-payments only from the new financial year. The size of the budget for 2017-18 has been increased by over Rs 20,000 crore compared to previous year.
As for the allocation of resources in the budget, Rs 56,491.89 crore has been set aside for 653 schemes targeted at women welfare. The allocation for health has been pegged at Rs 25,000 crore; Rs 11,500 crore for urban development and urban housing; Rs 8,800 crore for education; Rs 8,100 crore for energy & petrochemicals; Rs 6,700 crore for panchayat, rural housing and rural development; Rs 6,400 crore for agriculture and cooperation; Rs 3,800 crore for industry; and Rs 2,857 for social justice and empowerment.
Apart from students the Deputy CM also announced a slew of bonanza for the farmers, tribal and Anganwadi workers. Rs 4,011 crore has been allocated for subsidised power to farmers and another Rs 400 crore for free power to village water works. A separate allocation of Rs 5,100 crore was also announced to take Narmada Waters to arid Kutch region. Patel also announced Government’s intent to provide farm loan to farmers at 1 per cent interest rates other than cutting the agricultural tax on tractors from 3.5 to 3 per cent.
A special package of Rs 1000 crore for the Micro and Small units and provision of Rs. 50 crore under Shramik Annapurna Scheme for providing nutritious and good quality subsidized food to 50,000 construction workers. Monthly old age support of 1000 for construction workers above the age of 60 years was also announced in the budget. Hundred employment camps will be organized for the benefit of 3, 00,000 youths coupled with allocation of Rs.1032.40 crore for the welfare of Scheduled Castes.
The revised estimates for the 2016-17 budget stood at Rs 1342.93 crore, against the expected surplus of Rs 245.49 crore. The total revenue expenditure for the year 2017-18, meanwhile, are now estimated at Rs 1,25,455.63 crore, with capital expenditure estimated at Rs 45,376.34 crore. The revenue receipts are estimated at Rs 1, 31,521.23 crore and the capital receipts at Rs 33,974.90 crore.
Ends…