Jharkhand government tables Rs 1.16 lakh crore budget; Boost for infra, job training planned

“I want to tell the House through you that our feet are firmly on the ground, and we have the courage to touch the sky of development. With this confidence, I am presenting the gross budget estimate of Rs 1,16,418 crore for the financial year 2023-24 before the House. Rs 84.676 crore is proposed for revenue expenditure in the year 2023-24, Rs 31,742 crore is proposed under capital expenditure,” Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon said while presenting the budget.

The Jharkhand government has put the revised estimates of revenue receipts in FY 22-23 at Rs 83,420.19 crore, up by nearly Rs 400 crore from budget estimates presented last year. For the next financial year, the government has put a figure of Rs 98,337.15 crore in revenue receipt estimates. Capital receipts are estimated at Rs 18,080.85 crore.

“Within the revenue receipts, the state’s own tax revenues are estimated at Rs 30,860 crore; state’s own non-tax at Rs 17.259.44 crore; and Rs 16,438.42 crore from grants-in-aid from Centre; and Rs 33,779.29 crore as state’s share in central taxes. Within the capital receipts, Rs 18,000 crore from public debt and Rs 80.85 crore from the recovery of loans and advances is estimated,” Oraon said.

He added that the fiscal deficit in the year 2023-24 is estimated to be at Rs 11, 674 crore, which is 2.76 per cent of the estimated Gross State Domestic Product. The fiscal deficit budget estimates for FY 23-22 were at Rs 11,286.47 crore, however, in the revised estimates it is pegged at Rs 8,786.47 crore.

The sector-wise allocation remained at Rs 4,627 crore for agriculture and allied activities, Rs 8,166 crore for rural development, Rs 1,968 crore for Panchayati Raj, Rs 7,171 crore for women child and social Security, Rs 12,546 crore for school education and literacy, Rs 7,040.90 crore for health and Rs 985 crore for labour and employment.

The government has set a target of providing skill training to 1.4 lakh youths of the state under the ‘Mukhyamantri Sarathi Yojana’. The government said that if the beneficiaries did not get employment, they would pay Rs 1,000 to men and Rs 1,500 to women and the disabled. After implementing the Old Pension Scheme in the state, the Jharkhand government in this budget said that it will create a pension fund with a proposal of Rs 700 crore to reduce the financial burden of pension on the exchequer.

The government has provisioned Rs 2,131 crore on the Universal Pension Scheme in which it added 11 lakh new beneficiaries, benefitting 21.08 lakh people.

Continuing the subsidy for the first 100 units of electricity consumption for the residents–18 lakh consumers are currently benefitting–the government has provisioned Rs 2,300 crore in the budget. There is a proposal for Rs 180 crore for the establishment of new dairy plants in Giridih and Jamshedpur and a milk powder plant and a milk product plant in Ranchi.

Interestingly, the government has also brought out a scheme converging with MGNREGA. Titled Birsa Irrigation Well Promotion Mission, the scheme provides irrigation wells to 1 lakh farmers. A provision has been made to give Rs 50,000 per beneficiary from the state scheme as material items and the remaining amount from the MNREGA scheme.

The government has also proposed to start ‘Women and Kishori Kalyan Yojana’ to distribute free sanitary napkins, provide nutritious food to pregnant women before delivery and distribute maternity care kits after delivery.

‘Anganwadi Chalo Abhiyan Yojana’ will be started for preschool education for children coming to anganwadi centres. “Under this scheme, a budget of Rs 190 crore…there is a proposal to construct 800 new anganwadi buildings in the year 2023-24. Under this, a budget of Rs 100 crore is proposed in the coming financial year,” Oraon added. He said that in a select few schools, elementary education will be given in Oriya and Bengali – a first in the state.