Baghel presents 'bold' budget to take Chhattisgarh to new heights

Raipur, March 2 Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Monday presented a bold budget with an estimated gross expenditure for 2021-22 at Rs 105,213 crores and fiscal deficit pegged at 4.56 percent, and claimed it will take the state to new heights.

Laying the papers in the Assembly, Baghel said the budget embodies the core mantra of 'Garbho Nava Chhattisgarh'.

The budget, he said, stood for HEIGHT: H for Holistic development, E for Education, I for Infrastructure, G for Governance, H for Health and T for Transformation.

Baghel, who also holds finance portfolio, said the total receipts amounted to Rs 97,145 crores, total expenditure to Rs 97,106 crores, revenue expenditure to Rs 83,028 crores, capital expenditure to 13,839 crores and revenue deficit to Rs 3,702 crores.

Thus, the total fiscal deficit is Rs 17,461 crores or 4.56 per cent of the GSDP.

He added that in the union budget 2021-22, the share in central taxes for the state has decreased by Rs 4,128 crores as compared to budget provisions of the current year.

Highlighting the expenditures, he said revenue expenditure is 85.50 percent and capital expenditure 14.50 percent.

The expenditure in the social sector is 38 per cent and in the economic sector 39 per cent. The social sector expenditure is pegged at 15.9 per cent, SC/ST development is 2.4 per cent, on health 5.9 per cent and on women and child development 2.3 per cent. The Chief Minister announced the establishment of C-Mart to bring all 'Chhattisgarhi' products under one roof.

He said fisheries have been brought under the status of agriculture. The Telghani Development Board, Leather Craftsman Development Board, Iron Craftsman Development Board and Rajak-kar Development Board will be set up to revive rural business skills.

He announced plans to open 119 English medium schools and an autonomous national level boarding school at Nava Raipur as well as construction of an airstrip at the remote and backward Korea district.

The 'Bastar Tigers' special force will be formed in all districts of Bastar division which is said to be a game-changer for tackling Maoist militancy with local recruits. A Cyber Forensic Lab will come up at the police headquarters.

( With inputs from IANS )