Diya Kumari presents first Budget: Focus on job recruitment, farmers

Diya Kumari also announced that there will be no land tax, and an increase in the minimum social security pension from Rs 1,000 a month to Rs 1,150 with an additional provision of Rs 1,800 crore.

For students, she said free education will be given from KG to PG to those belonging to families of low-income groups, small/marginal/bataidar farmers and farm labourers. A financial assistance of Rs 1,000 per student for school bags, books and uniform for students of class 1 to 8 and girl students of class 9 to 12 was also announced, with an estimated number of beneficiaries standing at 70 lakh. She also announced Atal Innovation Studio and Accelerators in Jaipur, Bikaner, Bharatpur and Udaipur with an expenditure of Rs 1,000 crore.

For farmers, she announced an additional payout of Rs 2,000 under the PM-KISAN scheme, which will take the total annual payment amount to Rs 8,000 each. Also, the minimum support price (MSP) for wheat has been hiked to Rs 2,400 from Rs 2,275 per quintal.

The minister also announced a provision of Rs 2,000 crore for Rajasthan Agriculture Infra Mission, which covers farm ponds, irrigation pipelines, fencing and vermi-compost units among others. She said that high quality seeds of maize, bajra, mustard, moong, jowar and moth will be distributed to farmers. She also announced a Gopal Credit Card Scheme, under which interest-free short-term loans up to Rs 1 lakh will be given to 5 lakh gopalak (cowherds) with an expenditure of Rs 150 crore. She also announced mandi fee exemption for sugar and jaggery.

For the youth, apart from recruitment for 70,000 posts, the minister announced Yuva Sathi Kendra at divisional headquarters, employment fairs in each division, campus placement and skill development training programmes. She also emphasised the timely conduct of recruitment exams and a Mukhyamantri Paryatan Kaushal Vikas Programme, under which training related to guide/hospitality will be imparted to 20,000 youth and folk artistes in two years.

She said that as part of Mission Olympics-2028, world class facilities will be provided to 50 youth and a Centre of Excellence for Sports will be set up in Jaipur with a provision of Rs 100 crore.

For women and girls, she said that residential girls’ sports institutes will be set up in Jaipur, Bharatpur and Udaipur with Rs 25 crore each. She also announced the party manifesto promises of Lado Protsahan Yojana – a savings bond of Rs 1 lakh in the birth of girl child in poor families – and the Lakhpati Didi Yojana. She said that anti-Romeo squads to check harassment will be set up in each district and women helpdesks will be set up in 174 police stations. As part of Laadli Suraksha Yojana, CCTV cameras will be installed in public places and girls’ hostels.

Additionally, Diya Kumari announced a provision of Rs 1,500 crore as State Road Fund for upgradation and construction of roads. Next, she announced a Project Monitoring Unit for Pradhanmantri Suryodaya Yojana and a target of more than 5 lakh solar plants where these families will get free electricity up to 300 units per month. She also announced 500 electric buses for cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur and Kota along with inter-state usage, and a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for extension of Jaipur Metro along the Tonk Road, Sitapura, Ambabari and up to Vidhyadhar Nagar, and a hi-tech city near Jaipur.

Early in her address, the minister came down heavily on the Opposition Congress, accusing it of financial mismanagement during its 2018-23 tenure. She said the state has a debt of Rs 5,79,781 crore as per Budget estimates of 2023-24 and that per capita debt increased from Rs 36,800 in the end of 2017-18 to Rs 70,800 in 2023-24. She said there was a regular electricity crisis due to mismanagement and corruption and there is a debt of more than Rs 1,39,200 crore on electricity companies, including DISCOMs, while the state lagged in Jal Jeevan Mission and stood at 33rd place at JJM coverage in the country.

As she continued to attack the Opposition, Leader of Opposition Tika Ram Jully and Congress state president and Laxmangarh MLA Govind Singh Dotasra objected to the overtly political statements and Congress MLAs stormed the well of the House about half an hour into the proceedings.

As Speaker Vasudev Devnani asked them to return to their seats, the Chief Minister intervened, saying that a woman is presenting the Budget and they should encourage her. As the disruption continued, Jully said: “Read the Budget which has come from Delhi. You can’t add comments in the Budget. This has not been the tradition.” Diya Kumari shot back, saying that he should not tell her what to do.

For drinking water, she said that there will be an approximate expenditure of Rs 15,000 crore under Jal Jeevan Mission. For the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project, she said that the project’s cost has increased from Rs 37,250 crore to Rs 45,000 crore and that it will benefit 21 districts instead of the original 13. She said that under Mukhyamantri Jal Savavlamban Abhiyan 2.0, works amounting to approximately Rs 11,200 crore will be undertaken.

The Finance Minister said that Adarsh Anganwadis will be set up at block level with an expenditure of Rs 20 crore. Indicating a change of name of Mukhyamantri Chiranjeevi Yojana, she said that Day Care Package along with In-patient Department will be provided under Mukhyamantri Ayushman Arogya Yojana. Additionally, 25 Advanced Life Support Ambulances will be provided for life safety in accidents on highways, doorstep delivery of medicines under Rajiv Gandhi Health Scheme, etc.

For the old and the marginalised, she announced a Mukhyamantri Vishwakarma Pension Yojana for labourers and street vendors, with a provision of Rs 350 crore, 50 per cent concession in roadways bus fare for senior citizens, etc. Other measures include police modernisation and infrastructure fund of Rs 200 crore, cyber helpdesk in newly created 34 police stations, and the pension for “Emergency detainees” to be backed by law.

For heritage and temples, she announced developmental works for 20 religious places, including Govind Devji in Jaipur, Mangarh Dham in Banswara and Poonchari ka Lautha in Deeg with an amount Rs 300 crore. She also announced upgradation of 10 museums and public gallery in state archives, Bikaner, with a cost of Rs 50 crore. The Finance Minister also announced a Maharana Pratap Tourist Circuit with Haldighati, Gogunda, Kumbhalgarh, Udaipur etc., with a provision of Rs 100 crore, a DPR for Armed Forces Museum, and Amritadevi Bishnoi Indigenous Plant Museum at Khejarli in Jodhpur, among other things.