Shimla. Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday presented a tax-free budget of Rs 50,192 crore for the financial year 2021-22. Even as the financial situation of the state continues to remain grim with the debt trap crossing Rs 62,000 crore, the CM has tried to create employment opportunities in the tourism sector, agriculture and horticulture. This is the fourth budget presented by Thakur in his first term as chief minister. The focus of the budget is on providing relief to every section, be it women, farmers, employees and youth.
Highlights
The budget 2021-22 is a reflection of people’s aspirations and resolve of the Government to continue pace of development in spite of economic ill effects of COVID-19. This budget will meet the expectations of all sections of society. The State Government continuing its journey on the path of equity, compassion, justice and all round development promises maximum governance, minimum Government.
• A Budget of Rs. 50,192 crore, which is more than the budget of the previous year despite Corona epidemic.
• V-shaped recovery in economy.
• Several programmes to celebrate 50 years of Statehood.
This budget is based on the following:-
1. Women welfare and empowerment
2. Expansion of social security net
3. Strengthening and expansion of health services
4. Increasing income of farmers
5. Swaran Jayanti Aashray Yojana
6. Employment creation
7. Infrastructure and industrial development
8. Quality education
1. Women welfare and empowerment
• Social security pension of Rs. 1,000 per month to elderly women in the age group of 65-69 years under “Swaran Jayanti Nari Sambal Yojana”. Additional amount of Rs. 55 crore will be spent.
• The new scheme ‘Shagun’ started. Under this scheme, a grant of Rs. 31,000 at the time of marriage to the daughters of Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes from BPL families will be given. Rs. 50 crore will be spent on the scheme.
• Two girls of BPL families will now be given Post-Birth grant of Rs. 21,000 as fix deposit.
• Several initiatives and schemes announced for Self Help Groups.
• Gas cylinder refill to 3 lakh families under ‘Himachal Grihani Suvidha Yojana’, in the next year.
• Women Help Desk will be established in 136 police stations.
• 25% reservation to women for recruitment as constables and sub-inspector in police in a phased manner.
• 250 “Bank Correspondent Sakhi” to be designated by the banks.
2. Expansion of social security net
• 40,000 new beneficiaries to be brought under Social Security Pension Schemes. Additional amount of Rs. 60 crore will be spent.
• 6,60,000 beneficiaries to get Social Security Pension. Total expenditure of Rs. 1,050 crore will be incurred.
3. Expansion of Health Services
• PET scan in IGMC, CT scan and MRI machines in RPMC Tanda and CT scan machines in medical colleges in Hamirpur and Nahan will be installed at a cost of Rs. 70 crore.
• Super Speciality Hospital in Chamyana, New OPD Block and Trauma Centre in IGMC will be dedicated to the people.
• All persons above the age of 70 years and orphans living in Bal Ashrams will be covered free of cost under HIMCARE.
• Mission “Drishti” will be started for free eye check up and providing of free spectacles to the students of class 6 to 10 in Government schools.
• A detailed study to be conducted in collaboration with NITI Aayog to tackle the problem of malnutrition among children and women in the State.
• An amount of Rs. 250 crore will be spent for providing health related services under Ayushmaan Bharat, HIMCARE, Mukhya Mantri Chikitsa Sahayta Kosh, free medicines, Sahara, Sammaan etc.
4. Increasing income of farmers
• For making available the high density fruit plants at reasonable prices, the “Swaran Jayanti Smridh Bagwan Yojana” will be started.
• Agriculture Produce Protection (Anti-hail net) scheme (KUSHY) will continue in 2021-22 with an outlay of Rs. 60 crore.
• For promoting research in horticulture and agriculture, a research fund of Rs 5 crore will be set up for both the Universities.
• Under Word Bank funded Horticulture Development Scheme, five lakh fruit plants will be imported, small irrigation schemes for 8000 hectare command area will be developed, Gene Repository will be established in Horticulture University Nauni and Apple Juice Concentrate line will be established in Parala plant of Shimla district.
• 50,000 new farmers will be brought under “Prakritik Kheti Khushhaal Kisaan Yojana”.
• Milk procurement price increased by Rs. 2 per litre.
• Constitution of an Expert Group to restructure various schemes and enhancing income of the farmers.
5. Swaran Jayanti Aashray Yojana
• Under “Swaran Jayanti Ashraya Yojana” 12000 beneficiaries will be provided houses equipped with all basic facilities.
• By 2022 all eligible applicants of SC category will be provided house
6. Employment Creation
• Expansion in the scope of “Mukhya Manti Swavlamban Yojna. An amount of Rs. 100 crore will be spent.
• 7,000 unemployed youth will be provided employment in private sector through Rozgar Melas and campus interviews.
• Building and Other Construction Workers Welfare Board to extend increased assistance to more workers.
• Our Government has kept a target of filling up 30,000 functional posts in 2021-22: 4,000 posts in different categories in Health Department, 4,000 posts of different category teachers in Education Department; 8,000 posts of Multi task Part Time Workers in Education Department; 5,000 posts of Multi Task Part Time Workers in PWD and 4,000 posts of Para Fitter, Pump Operator & Multi Task Part Time Workers in Jal Shakti Department. In addition to this functional posts of Police Personnel, Technical Posts in State Electricity Board, Drivers & Conductors in HRTC, Junior Engineer, Assistant Engineer, Officials in Revenue Department, Doctors & Officials in Animal Husbandry, staff for Urban Local Bodies, Technical Assistant and gram Rojgar Sahayak in Panchayats, JOA (IT), Teachers & Instructors in Technical Education Department and class-IV employees, etc. will also be filled.
• Online registration for Skill Development Allowance and Industrial Skill Development Allowance.
7. Infrastructure and Industrial Development
• Wayside amenities, Himachali Handicraft and traditional products sale centres will be developed near Atal Tunnel (on both sides) for convenience of the tourists.
• 5,000 Part Time Multi Task Workers will be engaged for maintenance of road.
• Ground breaking of MoUs worth Rs. 10,000 crore soon.
• Bulk Drug Park to be established in district Una.
• Electronics and Power Equipment manufacturing hub in Nalagarh.
• Toy manufacturing clusters to be established.
• Under PMGSY, 3125 major rural road will be upgraded.
• W-metal beam crash barriers will be installed on 140 km road.
• Target of bringing total road length to 40,000 Kilometers and 34,000 kilometers of road with Black Top by 2022.
• During 2021-22 the Public Works department will carry out metalling and tarring of 2000 kms road, construction of 1000 kms motorable road, cross drainage on 945 km road, construction of 80 bridges, road link to 90 villages, upgradation of 800 km road and increasing the life span by renewal of 2200 km road.
• Large number of projects to be started in Shimla and Dharamshala under Smart City Project and those completed to be dedicated.
• Newly formed Municipal Corporations in Solan, Palampur and Mandi will be given Special Grant of Rs one crore each and each of the newly constituted Nagar Panchayats will be given a Special Grant of Rs 20 lakhs.
• Completed Sewage Schemes and Sewage Treatment plants will be dedicated to people and worm new schemes will be started.
• Swaran Jayanti Urja Neeti to be brought out and Power Vision Document-2030 to be prepared.
• Initiatives to improve the quality of power supply.
• Multimedia publicity campaign highlighting local attractions for revival of tourism.
• 19 tourism schemes in Manali, Janjehli, Mandi, Dharamshala, Kyarighat, Jwalamukhi, Kangra, Shimla, Chamba, Bir-Billing etc. with a cost of Rs. 218 crore to be dedicated.
• 3 more districts i.e. Solan, Hamirpur and Bilaspur to be covered completely under Jal Jeevan Mission.
• Budget of Rs. 1,016 Crore for construction of Mandi Airport and expansion of Shimla, Kullu and Dharamsala Airports.
• Urban areas will be brought to the ODF standard through effective waste management.
• 200 old buses will be replaced by new buses, including electric buses.
• Rs. 200 crore will be spent for expansion of Rail lines
8. Quality of education.
• Government welcomes “National Education Policy 2020” and resolves to implement it.
• “Top 100 Scholarship Scheme” will be started.
• Establishment of 100 Math Labs in schools.
• Coaching and career counseling classes for Government school students.
• “Him Darpan Shiksha Ekikrit Portal” to be established for making education system more effective.
• The diet money for participants in different tournaments doubled.
• 100 cluster schools, 68 senior secondary schools and 9 colleges will be brought under “Swaran Jayanti Gyanoday Cluster Utkrisht Vidyalaya Yojana”.
• 8 Technical Education institutions in Jeori, Sundernagar, Kumarsain, Arki, Gangath, Karsog, Rehan and Bandla with a cost of Rs. 400 crore will be completed and dedicated.
• Honorarium to SMC teachers and IT teachers enhanced.
9. Others
• Increase in the honorarium of Asha Workers, Aanganwari Workers, Mini Aanganwari Workers, Aanganwari Sahayikas, Silai Teachers, Panchayat Chowkidars, Part Time Water Carriers and Mid Day Meal Workers of Education Department, Part Time Workers and Namberdars of Revenue Department, Water Guards, Para Fitters and Pump Operators.
• To bridge the regional inequalities new colleges, regional offices of Jal Shakti and Public Works Departments, Pharmacy Colleges, Development Blocks, Tehsils, Sub-Tehsils, Police Stations, Police Posts, Fire Stations etc. will be opened. The available resources will also be utilized as far as possible.
• Under “Vikas Mein Jan Sahyog Programme” outlay has been doubled.
• The financial limit of MLA Priorities increased from Rs. 120 crore to Rs. 135 crore.
• “Swaran Jayanti District Innovation Fund” will be established.
• Construction of Panchayat Ghars in newly created Panchayats.
• Proposal to bring a holistic drug de-addiction policy and creation of “Nasha Nivaran Fund”.
• The minimum daily wage has been increased to Rs. 300 per day and daily wage of part time and outsourced workers has also been increased.
• CCTV cameras will be installed in Police Stations.
• Steps will be taken to stop exploitation of outsourced workers.
CONCLUSION
Budget of Rs. 50,192 crore is proposed for 2021-22. Guiding principle for our Government has been “Sabka Saath-Sabka Vikas-Sabka Vishwas” which will be the motivating spirit in coming years also. The Government will manage the resources optimally to fasten the pace of development. We are sure of assistance from Union Government to work on our priorities.
New Schemes announced in the Budget Speech for 2021-22
1. Swaran Jayanti Sampark Sankalap Yojana (Sampark)
2. Swaran Jayanti District Innovation Fund
3. Swaran Jayanti Paramparagat Beej Sanrankshan Evam Samvardhan Yojana (Beej Sanrakshan)
4. Swaran Jayanti Smriddh Bagwaan Yojana (Samriddh Bagwaan)
5. Swaran Jayanti SHG Sahayog Yojana (sahayog)
6. Bank Correspondent Sakhi (Sakhi)
7. Swarnim Vaatika
8. HIM Darpan Shiksha Ekikrit Portal (HIM Shiksha)
9. Swaran Jayanti Green Building Pehal
10. Shagun
11. Swaran Jayanti Naari Sambal Yojana (Naari Sambal)
12. Nasha Niwaaran Fund
New Policies/Initiatives announced in the Budget Speech for 2021-22
1. The Plan and Non Plan based classification of Budget discontinued starting from the Financial year 2021-22
2. Planning Department has been renamed as Neeti Department
3. Outlays under Vikas Mein Jana Sahayog doubled
4. Per Constituency limit for posing DPRs to the NABAARD increased from Rs. 120 Crore to Rs. 135 Crore
5. Vidhayak Kshetra Vikas Nidhi restored and increased to Rs. 1.80 Crore
6. Restoration of full salary and honoraria of the Ministers, MLAs, Chairpersons/Vice Chairpersons wef 1stApril, 2021
7. Iris scanning as consumer identification method at PDS shops
8. Hike of Rs. 2 per litre in milk procurement price
9. Constitution of an Expert Group for orienting agriculture to Climate Change Resilient Agriculture through rationalization and restructuring of schemes.
10. R&D Corpus of Rs. 5 Crore for encouraging R&D in Agriculture and Horticulture Universities
11. Special intervention for enhancing skills in Science, Maths and spoken English among School children. Establishment of Math labs
12. Coaching to school children for competitive exams through online and off-line modes
13. Free enrolment of all the elderly persons above the age of 70years and also for the orphan children living in Baal Ashrams
14. Expenditure of more than Rs. 250 crore on Ayushmaan Bharat, HIMCARE. Sahara, Mukhya Mantri Chikitsa Sahayata Kosh, free medicines etc.
15. Rolling out of National Generic Document Registration System (NGDRS) in all the Sub-Registrar offices for online registrations
16. Committee constituted for reviewing old and redundant Rules, Acts and Procedures related to disposal of revenue matters
17. Installation of Solar Power Plants replacing conventional power operated pumps on water supply and other 10 schemes on pilot basis
18. Committee set up to expandthe scope of Swablamban Yojana
19. Swaran Jayanti Urja Neeti
20. Adoption of 5 Gaushalas as Green Gaushalas
21. Expansion in the scope of interest subvention scheme for tourism sector
22. Multi Media Publicity Campaign to revive Tourism
23. Connecting all the Panchayats including newly constituted Panchayats with motorable road in a time bound manner
24. Recruitment of 5,000 Multi Task Part Time workers in PWD
25. Establishment of Traders Facilitation Centre
26. Policy for Commercial Hemp Cultivation
27. Women Help Desk in Police Stations
28. 25 percentage reservation for women in direct recruitment as Constables and Sub Inspectors in Police Department
29. Opening of new offices and Institutions
30. Removal of pay anomaly of Class IV employees after completion of 20 years of service
31. Class IV employees now eligible for promotion as JOA (IT)
32. Model tender Document for hiring services on Outsource basis.
