Rs 2,500 A Month To Unemployed, Announces Chhattisgarh Chief Minister

The Chhattisgarh government on Monday presented a budget of Rs 1,21,500 crore for the financial year 2023-24 and announced a monthly allowance of Rs 2,500 to unemployed youth in the state.

Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, who holds the Finance portfolio, also announced a hike in the monthly honorariums of anganwadi workers, home guards, village kotwars and others.

The Congress government has tried to cater to youth, farmers, labourers, women and employees with an eye on Assembly polls to be held later this year.

On the urban transport front, the government has proposed a Lite metro project between Raipur and Durg.

The budget, presented with a motto of “Gadhbo Nava Chhattisgarh” (create new Chhattisgarh) for the prosperity and growth of the state with the agricultural and rural sectors in mind, will strengthen and complement the objectives of the "Chhattisgarh Model", CM Baghel said.

This budget is a sincere and strong effort by our government to fulfil the promises made to the people of Chhattisgarh in 2018 (during Assembly polls), he added.

"A new scheme to give allowance to the unemployed will be launched. Under the scheme, unemployed youth in the age group of 18 to 35 years who have passed Class XII, and with an annual family income of less than 2.50 lakh will be given an allowance of Rs 2,500 per month," Mr Baghel told the Assembly.

A provision of Rs 250 crore has been made in the budget (for this purpose), he added.

The monthly honorarium of anganwadi workers and sahayika (assistants) will be increased from Rs 6,500 to Rs 10,000 and from Rs 3,250 to Rs 5,000, respectively, while mini-anganwadi workers will be given an honorarium of Rs 7,500, up from the existing Rs 4,500, he said.

The CM also announced an increment in the honorarium given to home guard personnel, village Kotwars (based on the size of the area where they serve), gram patels, cooks under mid-day meal scheme and sanitation workers in government schools.

"Pension given to destitute, elderly, disabled, widows and abandoned women under Social Security Pension Scheme has been increased to Rs 500 per month from Rs 350. The scholarship given to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes students studying in hostels-ashrams and 'Prayas' schools has been increased from Rs 1,000 per month to Rs 1500 per month," he said.

"Similarly, Rs 700 given per month to post matric hostel students under the food assistance scheme has been increased to Rs 1200 per month. A provision of Rs 10 crore has been made for organising Mata Kaushlaya Mahotsav in Chandkhuri village of Raipur district, where Mata Kaushalya temple is located, for the promotion of Ramlila and Manas Mandli groups," Baghel added.

He said Rs 12 crore will be allocated for organizing the International Ramayana Festival.

A provision of Rs 200 crore has been made for establishment of four new medical colleges in Manendragarh, Geedam, Janjgir Champa and Kabirdham districts, he informed the House.

In Budget 2023-24, a provision of 41 per cent is for the social sector, 36 per cent for the economic sector and 23 per cent is for the general service sector, he said.

Maximum expenditure of Rs 19,489 crore has been provisioned for the School Education department, followed by Rs 10,329 crore for Panchayat and Rural Development department and Rs 10,070 for Agriculture department.

For opening 101 new Swami Atmanand English Medium Schools, a sum of Rs 870 crore has been provisioned in the budget, Rs 1,000 crore has been earmarked for various infrastructure works in urban areas, while Rs 50 crore has been allotted to set up industrial parks in urban areas, he said.

"A provision of Rs 3,238 crore has been made under Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural). A sum of Rs 85 crore has been allocated for setting up a 700-bed integrated medical facility at Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar Memorial Hospital, Raipur and Rs 2 crore for developing Aerocity near Raipur Airport," the CM said.

An 'International Archery Sports Academy' will be set up in Bastar and Raipur, as well as Mallakhamb Academy in Narayanpur and International Badminton Sports Academy in Raipur, the CM said.

The net expenditure after deduction of repayment of loans and of recoveries from gross expenditure is estimated at Rs 1,21,500 crore. The revenue expenditure is 1,02,501 crores and capital expenditure is 18,660 crores. Capital expenditure is 15.36 percent of the total expenditure.

The budget estimate of total receipts in the year 2023-24 is Rs 1,21,501 crore, which is 16.83 per cent more than the estimated budget receipts of the previous fiscal.

For the year 2023-24, the revenue from the state's own receipts are estimated at Rs 56,200 crore, the receipts from the Centre are estimated at Rs 49,801 crore and capital receipts are estimated at Rs 15,500 crore, he said.

The gross fiscal deficit of the state is estimated at Rs 15,200 crore, which is 2.99 percent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP), well within the 3 per cent limit set under Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act.

Total revenue surplus of Rs 3,500 crore is estimated in the year 2023-24, while there is no new tax proposal for 2023-24, he added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)