Baghel presents Rs 95,650 cr BUDGET FOR UPCOMING fiscal

RAIPUR: Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel on Tuesday presented a Rs 95,650crore budget, without any new tax proposals, for fiscal 202021 in the Legislative Assembly here.

Among other things, he announced a new scheme, `Rajiv Gandhi Kisaan Nyay Yojana', to provide good returns to farmers for agricultural produce with a provision of Rs 5,100 crore.

"With the spirit of `Gadhbo Nava Chhattisgarh (building a new Chhattisgarh), the budget is primarily focused on nutrition, betterment and extension of health services and productive use of the youth's energy to develop them as a powerful resource," said Baghel, who holds finance portfolio.

The budget also embodies the objective `Sarve Bhavantu Sukhinah, Sarve Santu Niramayah' (Let everyone be happy and healthy), he said.

"The Central Government had given special exemption to purchase paddy at support price along with bonus distribution to the previous government. But this year the state could not get this exemption from the Centre," Baghel said.

"Therefore, to ensure appropriate benefit to the `Annadata' (provider of food), the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana will be launched," he said. The benefit of the scheme will also be extended retrospectively for 2019-20, he added.

Under the `Krishak Jeevan Jyoti Yojana', a provision of Rs 2,300 crore has been made for free power supply to agripumps upto five Horse Power capacity, he said.

As many as 1176 biogas plants would be set up under the Gobar Dhan Yojana for which a provision of Rs 450 crore has been made, he said.

`Gurukul Vidyalaya' (residential school) will be set up in Giraudhpuri, the birthplace of spiritual leader Baba Guru Ghasidas, the chief minister announced.

Laboratories for the Internet of Things and robotics will be set up at three engineering colleges and five polytechnics in the state.

Tuition fees of students from Chhattisgarh who make it to IITS, IIMS and All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) will be borne by the state government, and on graduation they will be directly recruited in government and semi-government institutions, Baghel said.

To check cyber crime, cyber police stations will be estab

lished under the limits of every Inspector General of Police range. A Jail Reform Commission will be set up for improving the state's prison, the CM added.

An arbitration centre was proposed to be set up at the High Court at Bilaspur and all civil district courts.

A provision of Rs 7.20 crore has been made for automated Air Traffic Control (ATC) towers at Jagdalpur, Ambikapur and Bilaspur airports, while Rs 1 crore is earmarked for construction of air strip at Baikunthpur, Korea district.

`Shahid Smarak' (martyrs' memorial) will be built in Nawa Raipur Atal Nagar in the memory of Congress

leaders and security personnel killed in the May 2013 Jhiram Valley naxal attack, Baghel announced.