Something for everyone in Raje’s Budget

It’s a pro-women Budget for Rajasthan. With an eye on the 2009 Assembly election, on Monday...

It’s a pro-women Budget for Rajasthan. With an eye on the 2009 Assembly election, on Monday, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje presented the state Budget ahead of the Union Budget — apparently something unprecedented in the state. Presenting a plan outlay of Rs 15,248.33 crore, with a surplus of Rs 180.39 crore, Raje’s Budget had something for everyone — six per cent dearness allowance for pensioners, increased minimum wages for labourers, 1.5 lakh power connections for farmers, scholarships for students, training programmes for unemployed youth.

For the Gurjjar community, the CM announced a special ‘Dev Narayan Package’.

“The fund required to implement the recommendations made by the Ramdas Agarwal Committee will be allotted to the Dev Narayan Scheme,” she assured.

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For women, Raje introduced 50 per cent reservation in the panchayat raj elections and raised widow’s pension from Rs 200 to Rs 400. Now, women will own 20 per cent of the krishi mandis. She announced the opening of Kasturba Gandhi Vidyalaya for girls in several districts. And one can call it a ‘Chak De’ effect — the CM also announced the construction of a hockey academy for women at Ajmer. Besides, Raje announced a reward of Rs 1,500 for women — belonging to BPL, SC, ST or small and marginal farmers’ families — who will open a bank account. She promised government jobs for girls who will graduate from agriculture school. BPL families, with girls over 21 years of age, will be given an aid of Rs 10,000 for their wedding.

She announced new projects worth Rs 1,700 crore. To woo small and medium traders, Raje also announced proposals, including a four per cent tax on fruits and vegetables sold by corporate-run food stores, exemption of taxes on non-electrically operated hand tools and reduction of VAT to 4 per cent from 12.5 per cent on marble and finished Kota stone.

She proposed a customised incentive package to the first three corporate houses who will invest Rs 500 crore in under-developed districts. “This package will be valid till 2010-11,” she said.

The Budget proposed an expenditure of Rs 1,800 crore for medical and family welfare, Rs 6,700 crore for education, sports, art and culture, Rs 1,800 for water supply and housing, Rs 605 crore for roads, Rs 300 crore for welfare of SC/ST and other backward sections and Rs 80 crore for labour and labour welfare.

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In an attempt to enhance medical facilities in the state, the CM promised one operation theatre in every divisional headquarter and a health manager in every division. She also announced the opening of a medical college at Bharatpur.

Raje promised to connect all 32,000 villages across the state by a road network and round-the-clock power to all villages.

Addressing a press conference, Raje said that she presented the Budget before the Union Budget as she was eager to begin early and finish as soon as possible.

“The state is doing extremely well. It is no more a BIMARU state and at present, financially stronger than it was during the past five decades,” she claimed.