No new tax, Budget focused on youth, poor, women, farmers: MP CM
bhopal: Madhya Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda, who holds the finance portfolio, on Wednesday, presented the Budget of Rs 3,65,067 crore for the financial year 2024-25 in the state Assembly amid constant uproar created by the opposition Congress over the issue of an alleged nursing college scam.
While interacting with media persons on the premises of the Assembly, Chief Minister Mohan Yadav said that for the first time in the state, a Budget of more than Rs 3.65 Lakh crores has been presented and no new tax of any kind has been imposed.
"The Budget is on the theme of "Developed India-Developed Madhya Pradesh", and its size will be doubled in the next five years while ensuring the growth of GDP as per the expectations of Prime Minister Narendra Modi", CM Yadav said.
Presenting the Budget in the House, the deputy CM said that it is the Budget of the people for the people by the Yadav-led BJP government for this fiscal year, which is a jump of 16 per cent from the previous fiscal.
"We have tried to include the suggestions of the people of the various sections of society in the Budget. Before finalising the Budget, we invited the people and the subject experts online and physically to discuss the issues crucial for public welfare and the state's development", the finance minister said.
"Around 3051 suggestions from the people had been received, out of them were included in the Budget, so we can say it is the 'Budget of the people and for the people'', Deveda also said.
Taking care of all sections of society, Budget provision has focused on youth, the poor, women and farmers, Devda said to reporters during a press conference. "With a focus on new technologies including IT, the provision has been made in the Budget on a long-term plan to provide incentives and training to the youth to come in maximum numbers in the administrative services and to increase their contribution to the state", he also said.
Provision of Rs 26,560 crore for women and child development has been made, an 81 per cent jump in the allocation of funds from the previous Budget. In the health sector, the government has provisioned Rs 21,444 crore.
Three medical universities will be set up in Neemuch, Mandsaur and Seoni districts. In the coming two years, the BJP government plans to establish eight more medical universities, the Deputy CM said in the Budget speech. Under CM-Gram Sadak Yojana, he said 8,565 villages were connected through all-weather roads by 8,410 roads spanning 19,378 km. A target has been set to construct 1000 km of roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana in the financial year 2024-2025, he also said.
A provision of Rs 520 crore has been made to bring those women who have remained excluded from the Pradhan Mantri Ujjawala Yojana. The government will bring them into the fold.
Other provisions are also made in the Budget: Rs 22,600 crore for education; Rs 50 crore for Chief Minister Teerth Darshan Scheme; Rs 4,725 crore for forest and environment; Provident fund payment process for government employees will be made online so that employees can be paid immediately after retirement; Rs 150 crore to implement the Chief Minister’s Cooperative Milk Producers Promotion Scheme; Rs 586 crore for Sports and Youth Welfare: Rs 250 crore for Gaushalas; Rs 1,081 crore for the Culture Department; Rs 666 crore for tourist facilities; Rs 13,596 crore for the construction and maintenance of irrigation projects, Rs 40,804 crore under the Scheduled Tribes Sub-Plan to bring the Scheduled Tribes class into the mainstream of society; Rs 27,900 crore for the Scheduled Caste; Rs 1,704 crore for OBCs and minorities; Rs 27,870 crore for panchayat and rural development; Rs 4,190 crore for the industry sector, which is about 40 per cent more than the
last year.
