NE NEWS SERVICE
GANDHINAGAR, FEB 26
Gujarat Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Nitin Patel on Wednesday presented a Budget of Rs 2,17,287 crore for the financial year 2020-21.
Patel said “We aim to make our state from excellent to the most excellent state. In this Budget, we have placed special thrust on education, health, agriculture, animal husbandry, water management, rural and urban development and also on social development.”
No new taxes were proposed in the Budget which saw a healthy allocation of Rs 31,955 crore for education, Rs 11,243 crore for health and Rs 7,423 crore for the agriculture sector.
The Rs 2,17,287-crore Budget for the next fiscal has an overall surplus estimate of Rs 275 crore.
In the Budget presented on the first day of the assembly session, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who also holds the finance portfolio, proposed to reduce electricity duty for shops and offices, cold storages, religious places, and dharmshalas, giving benefits of Rs 320 crore to them.
Patel, who presented the Budget for the eighth time, did not propose any new taxes.
Of the total budget of Rs 2,17,287 crore, as per estimates, the developmental expenditure is expected to be Rs 1,33,283 crore and non-developmental expenditure at Rs 80,400 crore.
The size of the budget for the next fiscal indicates an increase of Rs 12,472 crore over the last one.
Patel, while presenting the budget, told the House that special focus has been placed on health, education, water management, animal husbandry, rural and urban development, agriculture and overall social development.
Patel allocated Rs 7,423 crore for the agriculture sector and Rs 31,955 crore for the education department.
To encourage cow urine and manure-based farming, a cultivator shifting to such agriculture methods will be given an assistance of Rs 10,800 per year to rear cows, he said.
Patel made a provision of Rs 50 crore to cover around 50,000 farmers under this scheme.
To improve the primary education scenario, Patel said the government will construct 7,000 new rooms in state-run schools with an estimated cost of Rs 650 crore.
On the higher education front, Patel said a provision of Rs 7 crore has been made to start a School of Defence Studies at the Gujarat University in collaboration with the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO).
Similarly, a sum of Rs 12 crore has been allocated to IITRAM (Institute of Infrastructure Technology Research and Management) to start the Department of Advance Defence Technology in collaboration with the DRDO.
Patel allotted Rs 11,243 crore for the health and family welfare department.
While Rs 450 crore has been allotted for the Ayushman Bharat Yojna (a Centre-sponsored health scheme), Patel said Rs 27 crore will be spent for purchasing 150 new ambulances.
Announcing a provision of Rs 3,150 crore for the women and child development department, Patel said ”Rann Anganwadis” (child care centres) will be opened in desert areas for the children of 1,500 saltpan worker families.
He also added that ”mini anganwadis” will be opened in central jails in major cities.
To encourage Gujarati diaspora donors wanting to do something for their native places, Patel announced a new scheme called ”Madre Vatan”.
Under this scheme, the government will contribute a matching amount of donation given by such donors for developing various facilities such as schools, Anganwadi centres, roads, water tanks, and ponds.
For making Gujarat plastic-free, Patel announced a new scheme wherein rag pickers collecting dry waste and plastic trash will be given financial assistance.
Patel said the world”s largest hybrid energy park is coming up at Kutch district. It can generate 25,000 megawatts of electricity per year at one place by harnessing solar and wind energy.
To add some more tourist attractions near the Statue of Unity at Kevadiya and nearby areas in Narmada district, a provision of Rs 387 crore has been made in the budget.
Patel proposed a reduction in electricity duty on shops and offices. From the present 25 per cent, Patel proposed a 20 per cent levy.
While this relief will benefit 30 lakh people, the state will have to forgo revenue of Rs 320 crore every year.
The finance minister also proposed to reduce electricity duty levied on religious places and dharmshalas.
He proposed to reduce electricity duty on religious places from 25 per cent to 7.5 per cent for rural areas and to 15 per cent for urban areas.
For dharmshalas, which currently pay 25 per cent duty, Patel proposed to slash it to 15 per cent for high-tension connections and 10 per cent for low-tension connections.
The Gujarat government has provisioned Rs 7,220 crore for various schemes under water resources, out of which Rs 1,710 crore is provisioned for the Saurashtra Narmada Avtaran Irrigation (SAUNI) Scheme. Rs 8,755 crore will be spent on works related to the completion of Narmada projects. Rs. 1,084 crore is allocated for the works to complete the Kutch canal for Narmada waters.
The Health and Family Welfare Department is allocated Rs 11,243 crore. Looking at the worrying situation of malnourishment in children and for which Gujarat has been at the receiving end of critics, the government has allocated Rs 2,000 crore for the ‘Mahila Suposhit Gujarat’ scheme. The government will be setting up one urban health centre per population of 10,000 persons and for that Rs 80 crore has been provisioned.
A total of Rs 4,317 crore has been allocated for the water supply department. For the ‘Nal Se Jal Tak Abhiyan’ the state government has undertaken works amounting to Rs 1,000 crore for the next two years. Rs 1,080 crore is allocated for the capital funding for tasks of setting up desalination plants in four places.
Budget highlights
Gujarat Organic Agricultural University to be set up at Halol in Panchamahal district of Central Gujarat with a proposed budget provision of Rs 12 crore.
Rs. 180 crore allocation for setting up a new 600-bed Maternity Child Hospital at SSG hospital in Vadodara city.
Large size umbrellas to be provided to 65,000 poor retail vendors selling fruits and vegetables on roadside. We have ordered its design-making. I added this small item in my budget on the last day.
48 lakh farmers received Rs. 3,186 cr directly in bank accounts from Narendrabhai Modi led Govt in Centre. Rs.3,795 cr package to farmers, the State Govt approved is highest ever. We have started depositing it directly into bank accounts.
Rs. 300 crore proposed for assistance to farmers to construct farm-side storage facility. NA (Non-Agriculture) permission will not be required for such construction.
Rs 50 crore first phase allocation proposed for Rs. 900 per cow per month assistance to farmers involved in cow-oriented organic farming. Allocation will be increased later if required.
Rs. 100 crore allocation proposed for assistance to registered Panjrapols for the one-time upgrade to creating facilities including solar rooftop, drip irrigation, etc.
Karuna ambulance for cattle/animals/bird medical care to be introduced at 31 more cities/towns. Rs. 32 crore allocation proposed for Gir and Kankrej cow breeding and conservation.
Rs. 1080 crore allocation in the next two years as capital proposed to set up 27 crore liter desalination plants at Mandvi (Kutch), Dwarka, Gir Somnath, and surrounding areas.
Rs.4,317 crore has been allocated to water and supply.
Rs.13,917 crore has been allocated to energy and Petro Chemicals.
Rann Anganwadi (kindergarten) to be started for 1500 families of salt workers in Surendranagar district (who work in salt pan area of Little Rann of Kutch).
Rs. 280 crore has been allocated to Police accommodation.
Rs. 63 crore has been allocated to Nirbhaya Fund for the safety of women.
Rs, 1271 crore has been allocated to food and civil supplies.
Mini Anganwadi (kindergartens) to be started in Central jails of Ahmedabad, Surat, Vadodara and Rajkot districts.
Rs. 30 crore to be pumped in to set up Gujarat Skill Development Corporation in order to strengthen the skill eco-system in the State on the lines of National Skill Development Corporation.
Rs. 406 crore provision made to start Surat Metro Rail project and for further progress of Ahmedabad – Gandhinagar Metro rail project works.
Rs. 950 crore provision for incentive to employment generating industries under the schemes such as Scheme for Incentive to Industries, Plastic Industries, Mega Innovative Project, Aerospace & Defense Sector
