In HP, 30K jobs, social security pension for all above 60 yrs in Rs 51,365 cr Budget
Shimla: Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Friday presented Rs 51,365 crore tax –free budget for year 2022-23 in the state assembly promising 30,000 new jobs, reducing minimum age for grant of social security pensions to 60 years, and enhancing wages for several categories of low paid employees including daily wagers, ASHA workers, mid-day meal workers and Anganwadi workers.
This is the fifth budget of the Chief Minister during his term after 2017 and by the end of the year he will face elections.
Thus, it appears the Chief Minister has tried to appease all sections, especially poor, socially deprived categories, farmers and low paid government employees and outsource employees.
He announced 10 new schemes in the budget, few of these to improve the condition of the women and infants, apart from improving standards of education.
The Chief Minister declared that despite the state economy having taken a big blow due to Covid situation and growth was also affected, he had tried to address all the sections, particularly poor sections, women, employees, farmers and several under privileged sections.
Yet, he admitted that the state's debt burden has already increased to Rs 62,300 cr and being a state with a low income base, the dependency remained in the central grants, share of taxes, GST and also revenue collections.
The biggest liability of the government as per budget will remain salaries, pensions, interest and loan repayment, what is left for development works is a mere Rs 29 in every Rs 100.
The Chief Minister announced an increase in MLA Area Development Fund from Rs 1.80 crore to Rs 2 crore and MLA Discretionary Grant from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh.
This was hailed by MLAs on both sides of the benches.
Thakur while announcing 10 new schemes in the budget made an unprecedented increase of almost three times in spending in the social security cover as Rs 1,300 crore will be spent on providing pension to 7.50 lakh persons.
The age limit for old age, widow and destitute women monthly pension has been reduced to 60 years and an enhancement made from Rs 700 to Rs 1,000, pension for those above 70 years hiked from Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,500 and pension for lepers and transgender up from Rs 700 to Rs 850 per month
This will impose a financial liability of Rs 1,300 crore.
The Chief Minister also announced that the HIMCARE scheme for the benefit of the poor patients will continue as it has benefited more than Rs 2.20 lakh people.
In the budget, the Chief Minister also announced to effectively deal with stray cattle menace and enact a law to provide for stricter punishments to those who abandon their cattle. He said more than 20,000 stray cows have been provided shelter in gausadans and gaushalas ,apart from Cow sanctuaries in the state.
He said the government will levy Rs 2 per bottle of liquor and money realised will be spent on setting-up gausadans and cow sanctuaries. The grant for private gausadans from Rs 500 to 700 per month per cow.
