Ashok Gehlot funds his poll promises

The Ashok Gehlot government, on Wednesday, presented the vote-on-account of Rs 86,906 crore, for the first four months of the current fiscal, which was passed by a voice vote. Chief minister Ashok Gehlot presented budget estimates for 2019-20 taking the total expenditure of the state to Rs 2,31,654 crore. 

The government has made a historic decision to give pension to old farmers. It will be first time in Rajasthan that small and marginal farmers will get monthly pension. Female farmers above 55 years and male farmers above 58 years will be eligible for the pension. The government has provisioned Rs 750 per month to the farmers below 75 years and Rs 1000 for the farmers whose age is 75-plus.

CM Ashok Gehlot announced that 600 new drug centres under Free Medicine Scheme will be set up. New medicines will be included in Mukyamantri Free Medicine Scheme for Cancer, Heart, Respiratory and Liver related ailments.

Also state-run drug testing laboratories at Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur and Bikaner will be strengthened and made functional. Infectious Disease Institute attached to Jodhpur Medical College will be developed as high-level research institute.

Under Mukyanmatri Dugdha Utpadak Sambal Yojna, the government will give Rs 2 per litre bonus to all milk producers who supply milk to the cooperative dairy federations. More than 5 lakh milk producers will be benefitted under this scheme.

The govt has, in addition, budgeted Rs115 crore additionally for National Food Security Scheme. The government will give one kg wheat at Rs 1 to BPL, state BPL and Antodaya families in place of Rs 2 per KG. It comes into effect from March 1, 2019 and will benefit a population of 1.74 crore. Annual additional expenditure of Rs115 crore is estimated in lieu of the decision.

Chief minister Ashok Gehlot, said it is not possible to discuss budget proposals and get an annual budget passed in the Assembly before March 31 due to upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Hence, the vote-on-account was presented for approval in the assembly for expenditure on drinking water, relief from natural disaster and cooperatives. He said that total debt on the state during the Congress government in 2013-14 was Rs 1,29,910 crore. As per revised estimate for 2018-19, debt and liabilities are estimated to increase by 138 per cent equalling to Rs 3,09,385 crore. With an estimates of Rs 29983 crores fiscal deficit, that is 3 percent of GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product) Gehlot government has tabled its interim budget for the year 2019-20. The budget may have 33.96 debt of GSDP. Tabling the budget the chief minister Ashok Gehlot counted All schemes were part of the party manifesto have been included in the budget with provisions.

Who Gets What In The Budget

• Farmers: CM Gehlot announces waiver of all outstanding cooperative short-term crop loans in any category. Waiver of outstanding loan will be done as on November 30, 2018. More than 24 lakh farmers will benefit from the decision to make 4-lakh bigha land as mortgage-free. The government has provisioned Rs9000 crore relief for the loan waiver it has announced and an additional Rs6000 crores for the pending waiver announced by the previous BJP government. 
• Elderly: The government has introduced pension for old farmers. Women above 55 and men above 58 shall be eligible for a monthly pension of Rs750. This has been provisioned in the Rs1377 crore allocation for old age pension scheme. Pensioners below 75 years will get Rs750 in place of Rs500 and those above 75 years will get Rs1000 in place of Rs750 from January 2019. The scheme covers 46 lakhs pensioners. 
• Youth: Around 1.6 lakh youths will benefit from the Mukyamantri Yuva Sambal Yojna. Under the scheme the government has increased the allowances for the unemployed youth by up to 5 times. It comes into effect from February, 2019 and beneficiaries will start getting allowances from March. Eligible unemployed female will get Rs3500 and male to get Rs3000. 
• Divyang: Reservation in government services for the specially-abled persons has been increased from 3 to 4 per cent.
• Girls: Nearly 2.3 lakh female students enrolled in Arts, Commerce and Science streams in graduate and post-graduate courses will get free education from 2019-20. The government has provisioned of Rs16 crore to re-open Haridev Joshi Journalism University and Dr BR Ambedkar Law University.
• Industries: New policy to come in place. Rajasthan Export Promotion Council to be set up in the state to enhance exports. 

Provisional Estimates For Fiscal 2019-20

• Rs 2.31 lakh crore is the total estimated expenditure, this fiscal
• Rs 1.67 lakh crore worth revenue receipts
• Rs 1.90 lakh cr is revenue expenditure
• Rs 23304 cr is revenue deficit
• Rs 29983 cr is fiscal deficit
• 3% fiscal deficit as percentage of GSDP
• 33.96% Debt to GSDP ratio