Fadnavis’s Panchamrut budget aims to please all

With an eye on the forthcoming elections for more than 75% of local bodies in the state, including the BMC, and the 2024 Assembly elections, the Shinde-Fadnavis government presented a please-all budget on Thursday. Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis who is also the finance minister presented the 2023-2024 budget called it Panchamrut alluding to the five areas this government is focusing on: agriculture, infrastructure, women and backward communities, environment and employment generation. The budget estimate for 2023-’24 is ₹5,47,450 crore up from last year’s ₹4,95,404 crore while the actual figure of the 2021-’22 budget is ₹4,06,369 crore. There has been an increase in total expenditure on account of the relief granted to farmers and people suffering from natural calamities, announced the government. GST collections and stamp duty-registrations helped the state government in revising its revenue estimate from ₹4.03 lakh crore in 2022-’23 to ₹4.31 lakh crore and led to reduction in revenue deficit from ₹24,353 crore to ₹19,965 crore. This will also aid the state government in spending more on development schemes. The GST collection

MUMBAI:

Deputy CM Devendra Fadnavis and Education Minister Deepak Kesarkar outside Vidhan Bhavan ahead of the budget.

Financial aid to farmers, in addition to ₹6,000 under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme

for 2022-’23 is expected to touch ₹1.25 lakh crore up from the estimated ₹1.20 lakh crore. Similarly, the stamp dutyregistration will mop up ₹8,000 crore more than the estimated collection of ₹32,000 crore in the ongoing FY 22-23. Likewise excise duty will be up by ₹1,000 crore from estimated ₹22, 000 crore.

MUMBAI: In a boost to infrastructure, deputy CM and finance minister Devendra Fadnavis on Thursday announced a 760-km expressway connecting Nagpur with Sindhudurg bordering Goa and a new passenger terminal at Shirdi airport.

Total outlay

To a girl child below poverty line, in four installments, from the time of her birth till she reaches Class 11; And ₹75,000 once she attains 18 years of age

For women on ticket fares in Maharashtra State Transport Corporation buses

Employment generation

Reduced VAT on aviation turbine fuel in Mumbai, Pune and Raigad

About 88% work of the ambitious Mumbai-Nagpur expressway is already complete.

The state has also sanctioned ₹162 crore for building a jetty between Radio Club and Gateway of India to decongest the iconic monument, he said.