Reaching out to every section of Chhattisgarh’s 2.55-crore population, Chief Minister Raman Singh on Saturday presented Rs 54,710 crore tax-free Budget in the State Assembly for the fiscal 2014-15.
Singh, who is ruling the State since December 2003 and holds finance portfolio, unveiled a series of tax relief policies for the local industries and cottage industries to revive them from recession. In one of the major decisions for the farmers community, which makes up roughly 80 per cent of State’s total population, Singh has made a budgetary provision of Rs 140 crore for “interest free short-term crop loans”.
The key trade bodies and the business personalities in the State have hailed the budget as “balanced and growth-oriented” while the Opposition Congress termed it, “disappointing, directionless, anti-farmers and anti-poor”. Highlighting the priorities of his Government, Singh said that he was committed to overcome poverty, hunger and malnutrition. He emphasised on “strengthening of human resources, specially the marginalised sections of society and prosperity of farmers which will lead to better development of the State and this will be achieved through people-oriented, transparent and accountable administration”.
The Budget has made a provision of Rs 3,900 crore for providing rice at Rs 1 per Kg to 85 per cent families of the State under “Mukhya Mantri Khaddyanna Suraksha Yojana” towards implementation of the Food and Nutrition Security Act.
A provision of Rs 8,459 crore has been made for the agriculture and allied sectors and the Chief Minister announced in the House about providing the incentive to the farmers at the rate of Rs 300 per Quintal for paddy procurement of 2013 Kharif. And he has provisioned Rs 2,400 crore for the same in the Budget. The total outlay for social sector has been pegged at Rs 20,851 crore in the Budget which includes 12 per cent for school education, 8 per cent for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes development, 5 per cent for health and 3 per cent for women and child development.
The Chhattisgarh Government has offered several bonanzas in education sector and announced free education to girl students of Government colleges up to graduation. Interest rates have also been further reduced to 1% for education loans under the “Mukhyamantri Uchcha Siksha Krinn Anudan Yojana” while interest free-education loans under the scheme for students of Naxal-affected districts.
In the Budget speech, Singh has announced to launch a new but ambitious scheme called “Noni (Girls) Suraksha Yojana” for the girl child of BPl families in order to promote positive gender ratio and equal and respectable status to girls in the society. Under the scheme the State Government will deposit Rs 25,000 at 5,000 per year and the matured sum of 1 lakh will be given to the girls. A provision of Rs 40 crore has been made for the scheme.
With a view to improve nutrition among adolescent girls, “Sabla” programme to be started in 17 districts. Additional provision of 30 crore made for this purpose.