Rajasthan presents state budget with emphasis on seven sankalps

Rajasthan’s Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, who also holds the finance portfolio, has made a beginning in making the presentation of a state budget more lively. The structure of state government accounts is similar to that of the Union Budget, but Gehlot, while delivering a statement of anticipated receipts and expenditure, has chosen to focus on seven sankalps or pledges that form the core areas which the state government would stress upon.

The Seven pledges or resolutions of the state’s budget are: nirogi Rajasthan; prosperous farmers; welfare of women, children & elderly; promoting the welfare of workers, students & youth; promoting education; improving availability of water, electricity and better roads; developing skills and techniques. Gehlot has been critical of the Union government that has reduced the state’s share of central taxes and farm loan waivers that forced the state to shrink the size of expenditure by over Rs 600 crore. Yet, Gehlot increased social sector spending, including that on healthcare to 49 per cent from 43 per cent earlier.

Gehlot was critical of the NDA government that has been callous in managing the economy and the resultant slowdown that has cascading effects on the finances of all the states.

He said the GST share of the state has been reduced. The Union government was disinvesting PSUs but the states had no means to mobilise funds, he contended.

Nirogi Rajasthan is the new slogan that Gehlot gave in the budget. He has allocated Rs 14,500 crore to healthcare while education got Rs 39,000 crore.

Gehlot has given a major impetus to preventive health which will be hugely effective in the long run, both for the government and the people. Reducing out-of-pocket expenditure of the common man on health are the pillars of a healthcare system in a benevolent government system. The government will provide momentum to the Nirogi Rajasthan scheme by providing Rs 100 crore for the Nirogi Rajasthan management fund. It’s the first state that has laid emphasis on organ transplant and major government hospitals in major cities like Jaipur, Jodhpur, Udaipur, Kota and Ajmer will have organ retrieval process from brain-dead persons in place.

Gehlot announced a mandatory new policy for mandatory hearing screening which is the next step to a cochlear implant in the state. This would help in controlling disability among the children who would now be treated for hearing impairments.

Medical education has also been given impetus and now all the district headquarters will have at least a medical college each. Fifteen new medical colleges would come up in the next four years at a cost of Rs 5000 crore.

Gehlot made it mandatory for all private hospitals to treat road accident cases. The state government will take action against all such private hospitals that do not attend to road accident cases.

A road safety fund of Rs 100 crore has been set up and this has been done by studying the Tamil Nadu model where deaths due to accidents have reduced by 30 per cent. Three districts having low mortality rates in road accidents will be given cash awards as part of the Mukhya Mantri Sadak Suraksha Puraskar.

Gehlot announced measures for preventing adulteration in food. With a view to check adulteration, food laboratories will be established and fast track courts will be set up for the offenders. He said the state would come forward with laws to prevent adulteration.

Gehlot said the ambitious Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) which would help in solving the drinking water problems of a dozen districts should be made a national project. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has agreed that the project that would involve an expenditure of over Rs 33,000 crore should be treated as a national project with the Centre providing funds for it.

Gehlot said that the Centre should provide funds for the Prime Minister’s Jal Jeevan Yojana. He said providing drinking water to each household in the state would cost Rs 1.5 lakh crore and the Centre would provide only 50 per cent of the cost. He said looking at the water scarcity of Rajasthan, the Union government should fund it at a ratio of 90:10.

Thus, Gehlot’s budget proposals were very focussed and emphasis was laid on key priority areas.