U'khand CM Rawat tables Rs 53,527-cr budget; 25 public welfare goals in focus

A surplus annual budget of Rs 53,526.97 crore was presented in Uttarakhand assembly on Wednesday, with Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat describing it as a document reflecting the hopes and aspirations of the people of the state. Tabling the budget in the house, the chief minister said the total expenditure for the financial year 2020 is estimated at Rs 53,526.97 crore, out of which a provision of Rs 42,389.6 crore has been made under revenue expenditure and Rs 11,137.30 crore under capital expenditure.

Based on the budget proposals for 2020-2021, a revenue surplus of 49.66 crore is expected, while the fiscal deficit is estimated at Rs 7,549.74 crore. The ratio of fiscal deficit to GSDP is 2.57 per cent, which is well within the 3 per cent prescribed limit of FRBM Act, Rawat said.

The chief minister described the budget as a document that reflects the new hopes and aspirations of the people of the state. Prosperity of farmers, jobs for the youths, empowerment of women, reverse migration to border villages, access to quality education and creation of better health facilities in remote areas are some major goals the budget aims to achieve, Rawat said in his budget speech.

The chief minister said the budget aims to achieve 25 public welfare goals under the state government's Vision 2020. Speaking on different aspects of the budget, the chief minister said, "An amount of Rs 315 crore is proposed under World Bank scheme of disaster management." In order to benefit the farmers, Krishi Upadan Lagat Sarvekshan Yojana is being launched for providing minimum support price for crops like mandua, sanwa, urad, ghat and masoor, the chief minister said.

To generate self-employment opportunities and prevent migration from hilly areas, a provision of Rs 15 crore has been made under Mukhyamantri Swarojgar Yojana, he said. In addition, a migration cell will be set up under the Mukhyamantri Palayan Roktham Yojana for which a provision of Rs 18 crore has been made in the budget.

An amount of Rs 1,265 crore has been proposed for Haridwar Kumbh 2021 and a provision of Rs 2,300 crore has been made for payment of wheat and paddy procured from farmers under rabi and kharif procurement, respectively, in 2020-21. An amount of Rs 240 crore is proposed for the payment of residual dues to sugarcane growers.

The integrated cooperative development project has been allocated Rs 100 crore. A provision of Rs 2,055.56 crore is proposed for PWD and Rs 1,072 crore has been made available under PMGSY to boost rural connectivity.

Besides, the budget proposes Rs 133 crore to build school infrastructure and Rs 100 crore for Atal Ayushman Uttarakhand Yojana..