Deputy chief minister Nitin Patel announced a budget of Rs1.83 lakh crore for Financial Year 2018-19. While the budget does not have many new schemes, the allocation for agriculture, health, education and other areas has seen a sharp rise. Several measures to boost employment opportunities have also been announced.
Patel said the budget size has gone up from Rs1.72 lakh crore in 2017-18 to Rs1.83 lakh crore in 2018-19, keeping in the mind the economy's strength and buoyancy in revenue receipts.
"In 2017-18 so far, state tax revenues have gone up by 20.92% over the previous year," he said.
As against estimated Rs1.31 lakh crore for 2017-18, the government expects revenue receipts to cross Rs 1.40 lakh crore in 2018-19. The state's share in central taxes is pegged to rise from Rs20,782 crore to Rs 24,307 crore, while state's own taxes are seen rising from nearly Rs78,000 crore to Rs88,700 crore.
Patel said that a large chunk of the budgetary allocation has been made for social sectors.
With Rs 27,500 crore, the education department has got the highest provision in the budget. Patel announced that science centres would be set up in five schools in each taluka, that is, in 1,250 schools, to nurture curiosity among schoolchildren. The budget provides Rs150 crore for providing tablets at a token rate of Rs 1,000 to college students.
The budget had allocation of Rs 9,750 crore for health and family welfare department, Rs 6,755 crore for agriculture and farmer welfare, Rs 3,080 crore for nutrition and general well being of women and children, Rs 9,250 crore for roads and buildings, among others.
Describing water management as the government's top priority, the deputy CM has allocated almost Rs 15,000 crore for Narmada, water resources water supply and Kalpasar. Of this, Rs 1,765 crore is for second phase of SAUNI scheme, Rs 1,074 crore for various lift irrigation schemes, and Rs 750 crore for drip irrigation. Rs 4,018 crore have been allocated for construction of Narmada canals, and Rs 1,295 crore for underground pipelines. Statue of Unity, the dream project of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has been allocated Rs 899 crore.
The budget provides Rs 592 crore for Ahmedabad Metro project. Rs 100 crore for bio-mining projects at Pirana dumping site, Rs 25 crore for Gandhigram Railway underpass, and Rs 20 crore for renovation of Sanskar Kendra museum.
Patel announced that 5,635 police personnel would be appointed during the year, of which 1,500 would be specifically allocated for traffic duty. He also said that 4,000 more traffic brigade personnel, 33% of them women, would be recruited, while the honararium paid to them would be increased to Rs 300 per day from Rs 200.
"We have also made provision of Rs 506 crore for the Gujarat Binanamat Educational and Economical Development Corporation, which has been established to provide benefits to 58 non-reserved castes such as Patels, Brahmins, and others, who do not get reservation benefits," he said.
Allocations for Panchayats, SC and ST departments also saw an increase.
The deputy CM announced allocation of Rs 6,755 crore for the agriculture department, including Rs 1,101 crore for crop insurance, price stability fund, and other schemes, Rs 500 crore to provide crop loan at zero per cent interest to farmers, among others.
Employment generation also seems to be one of the focus areas of the budget. Patel said that Rs 785 crore has been provided in the budget to provide opportunities of employment and vocations to 3.50 lakh youth.
The Mukhyamantri Apprenticeship Scheme, which provides additional financial incentive for one year to apprentices in factories, hotels, banks, financial services, etc. has also been announced. Schemes for setting up of animal farms, providing interest subvention to 50,000 skilled and unskilled workers, and self-employment through cottage and rural industries, were also announced.
The Gujarat government boasts of having controlled fiscal deficit in the year 2016-17 that remained at 1.42% of GSDP which was recorded at 2.24% in the year 2015-16. The Finance Minister justified with the argument that this reflected sizeable increase in the income of the state resulting into decrease in borrowing. The minister also added that the same decreased the burden on state government of interest payment and repayment of the loans. The minister expected that the same scenario would continue for the year 2018-19 too.
Additional chief secretary in the Finance Department Anil Mukim said, "We have been able to transfer the revenue surplus recorded in last years of Rs 5,900 crore around into capital expenditure and that decreased the borrowings of the state government. We have rationalised the borrowings and it was need based borrowings only with proper liquidity and fiscal management. "
The state government's debt has reached at Rs 1.90 lakh crore. The state government argued that the same was estimated at Rs 1,96,809 crore and the government successfully achieved to minimise the borrowings.
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With Rs 27,500 crore, the education department has got the highest provision in the budget. Patel announced that science centres would be set up in five schools in each taluka, that is, in 1,250 schools, to nurture curiosity among schoolchildren. The budget provides Rs150 crore for providing tablets at a token rate of Rs 1,000 to college students.
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