The Chief Minister (CM) of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot who also holds the finance portfolio of state presented the State Budget for 2022-23 (FY23) in his almost three-hour-long speech in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly located in its capital Jaipur.
- The main focus of the budget is on sectors like health, education, infrastructure, social security and tourism.
- No new taxes were levied in the budget in view of the pandemic’s impact on all sectors of economic activities.
- Rajasthan’s 1st-ever Agriculture Budget presented Separately.
Fiscal Indicators:
| Category | BE 2022-23 (Rs in lakhs) |
|---|---|
| Revenue Receipts | 21497723.50 |
| Capital Receipts | 13132498.95 |
| Revenue Expenditure | 23846579.07 |
| Capital Expenditure | 10771703.90 |
| Fiscal Deficit | 5821155.06 (4.36% of GSDP) |
*GSDP stands for Gross State Domestic Product
Schematic Outlay 2022-23
Rs 1,69,655.55 crore are proposed under Schematic Outlay in Budget Estimates 2022-23. The Sector-wise details of the Schemes outlay is as under:
| Sector | Proposed Outlay (Rs/crores) | % to Total |
|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & Allied Services | 11577.83 | 6.82 |
| Rural Development | 28051.71 | 16.54 |
| Special Area Programme | 289.22 | 0.17 |
| Irrigation & Flood Control | 6135.46 | 3.62 |
| Power | 25260.33 | 14.89 |
| Industry & Minerals | 2093.59 | 1.23 |
| Transport | 10026.87 | 5.91 |
| Scientific Services | 24.17 | 0.01 |
| Social & Community Services | 78631.61 | 46.35 |
| Economic Services | 3387.69 | 2 |
| General Services | 4177.07 | 2.46 |
Click here for Official Figures
Click Here for Official Sector-Wise Proposals
Rajasthan’s First-ever Agriculture Budget presented Separately
i.The CM also presented Rajasthan’s first-ever agriculture budget separately, with a provision of Rs 4,127.12 crore for the Agriculture Department. Rs 5,000 crore allocated for Krishak Sathi Yojana and adoption of mission mode for 11 thematic areas.
- The allocation for CM Krishak Saathi Yojna was Rs 2,000 crore in the last Budget.
ii.Rs 2,700 crore budgeted for the Rajasthan Micro Irrigation Mission, under which 5 lakh farmers will be benefitted.
iii.A Provision of Rs 1,439.49 crore was made for the Horticulture Department and of Rs 574.78 crore for the Animal Husbandry Department.
Launch of Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme
The state budget saw an announcement of the Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme with the proposed allocation of Rs 800 crore. The scheme will be implemented by the state’s urban development department. It aims to provide 100 days of employment in urban areas.
- Its format is in the lines of Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA).
- The reason behind this scheme is to enable families in towns and cities i.e. urban areas to ask for 100 days of work every year. Earlier, there is no scheme like MGNREGA for those in urban areas working as street vendors selling fruits, vegetables or wares, working in dhabas and restaurants, and others.
The state government had earlier decided to provide 200 days of employment under MGNREGA (additional 100 days of work), to the families of Sahariya and Khairua tribes of Baran district and Kathaudi tribe of Udaipur district, and persons with disabilities (PwDS).
Extension of employment under MGNREGA to 125 days
It is also proposed that employment under MGNREGA will be available for 125 days in the state, instead of 100 days. The state government will bear the expenses for this increase which will cost the state government Rs 750 crore.
Implementation of Old Pension Scheme:
Rajasthan has become the first State to go back to Old Pension Scheme (OPS) from National Pension Scheme (NPS) for its government employees appointed on or after January 1, 2004. The Central Government introduced NPS for all its new officials and employees, except those from armed forces, joining service on or after January 1, 2004. NPS is known as a contributory mechanism while OPS is called a defined mechanism.
- There is also a budgetary announcement for restoration of the next grade pay system. It will put an annual burden of Rs 1,000 crore on the State government from 2022-23.
- It was also announced to increase the number of promotional posts and extension of benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission to the employees of boards, corporations, universities and autonomous bodies.
Women Welfare:
i.The CM proposed Work for Home-Job Work Scheme for women in the state which will benefit 20,000 women.
- Rs 100 crore has been allocated for the scheme.
ii.There was also an announcement of Rajiv Gandhi Knowledge Service and Innovation Hubs in Jaipur, Jodhpur and Kota with an allocation of Rs 200 crore each.
- A separate space for women will be marked in hub as ‘W-Hub’.
iii.Indira Gandhi Matritva Poshan Yojana (IGMPY) will be extended to all districts of the state under which pregnant women are given Rs 6,000 on the birth of the second child.
- The scheme was initially launched for Pratapgarh, Banswara, Udaipur, Dungarpur and Baran districts last year.
Tourism and hospitality sector accorded the Status of Industry in Rajasthan
i.The State Government has accorded the status of industry to the Tourism and hospitality sector of Rajasthan. With this announcement, government tariffs and levies will now be payable by the sector as per the industrial norms and this puts an extra financial burden of Rs 700 crore on the exchequer.
ii.There is also an increase in the amount of the Tourism Development Fund from Rs 500 crore to Rs 1000 crore. The fund was created in last year’s budget to support the sector.
iii.There will be development of the Vagad Tourist Circuit to promote tourism in tribal-dominated Dungarpur and Banswara districts.
- The circuit will include Mangarhdham- Devsomnath, Beneshwar- Galiyakot- Arthuna- Tripura Sundari-Kadana-Mahi Bajaj Sagar- Kagdi pickup- Ghotiya Amba.
Other Proposals:
i.The budget proposed an increase in the health cover under its Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Swasthya Bima Yojana from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh per year per family and free-of-cost IPD (Inpatient Department) and OPD (Outpatient Department) services in the government health facilities.
ii.The State government will also spend Rs 4,500 crore on giving power tariff subsidies to the consumers in different slabs.
- There will be 50 units free electricity for those using 100 units, Rs 3/per unit grant for all domestic consumers up to 150 units and Rs 2/unit grant for consumers of 150 to 300 units and above as per the slab.
iii.It is proposed to conduct the Rajasthan Eligibility Examination for Teachers (REET) in July 2022 following its recent cancellation. An anti-cheating cell would be set up in the Special Operations Group (SOG) of Rajasthan police
- The number of posts in the upcoming REET examination has also been increased from 32,000 to 62,000 to give more employment opportunities to the youth.
iv.Rs 500 crore proposed for SC/ST (Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe) Development Fund and Rs 100 crore allocated for EWS (Economically Weaker Section) families.
v.To ensure the quality of education in the English medium, the creation of a separate cadre of English medium teachers under all subjects is announced. About 10,000 English medium teachers will be recruited in these schools in the first phase.
- 1000 more Mahatma Gandhi English Medium Schools will be started in urban and rural areas in the coming year.
vi.Under the CM Digital Service Scheme announced by the chief minister, 1.33 crore women will get internet enabled smartphones for 3 years.
vii.A Right to Service Guarantee and Accountability Bill will also be brought shortly in the State.
viii.It is proposed to increase honorarium and other allowances given to folk artists by 25%.
Points to be noted:
i.All the 200 MLAs (Member of the Legislative Assembly) were given an Apple iPhone–13 each along with the copies of budget after the CM’s speech.
ii.An iPhone operating system-based mobile app of the Assembly was also launched earlier for the convenience of the legislators, who could use it for accessing questions, motions, Bills, agenda, session review, business rules and the proceedings.
Recent Related News:
i.For the first time in two years amid COVID-19, on December 16, 2021, Rajasthan’s Art and Culture Minister Dr.Bulaki Das Kalla inaugurated 11-day long 24th ‘Lokrang-2021’, an annual festival of folk artists, at Jawahar Kala Kendra (JKK) in Jaipur, Rajasthan. It was organized by JKK, Art and Culture Department and RUDA (Rural Non-Agriculture Development Agency) under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
ii.On December 3, 2021, the Rajasthan Government signed 145 Memorandum of Understandings (MoUs) and Letters of Intent (LoIs) worth over Rs 79,000 crore during ‘Invest Rajasthan Roadshow- Exploring Investment Opportunities in Rajasthan’ in New Delhi.
About Rajasthan:
Governor– Kalraj Mishra
National Park– Desert National Park, Keoladeo Ghana National Park
Wildlife Sanctuaries– Jaisamand Wildlife Sanctuary, Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Phulwari ki nal Sanctuary
