NEW DELHI: Coming into power after a gap of nearly three decades, the newly formed Chief Minister Rekha Gupta-led BJP government in Delhi on Tuesday presented its maiden Rs 1 lakh crore Budget for the city with prime focus on health, education and transport sectors.
The aforesaid sectors got the maximum share in the Budget with a collective amount of Rs 45,136 crore.
“This is the first determined step towards transforming Delhi, which has deteriorated over the past 10 years, into a developed city,” Gupta, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said on the floor of the Assembly.
The Chief Minister apprised the House that they have increased the allocation of capital expenditure in this budget to develop the Capital’s roads, drains, education and health. “The capital expenditure this time has been doubled. Last year, it was around Rs 15,000 crore. This time we have allocated Rs 28,000 crore,” she said.
Giving priority to education among all other segments, the government allocated Rs 19,291 crore to the education sector, even more than what the last AAP government had invested. Last year, the allocation for the same stood at Rs 16,146 crore in the Budget presented by Delhi’s former Finance Minister Atishi.
Ahead of the elections, the BJP had made multiple promises of which three — implementation of Ayushman Bharat scheme, development of Atal canteens and the most ambitious Rs 2500 crore monthly assistance to eligible women — have found special allocation in the Budget.
For the implementation of the Central Government’s Ayushman Bharat scheme, the Delhi Government allocated Rs 2,144 crore. Similarly, of the total budget, Rs 5,100 crore was allocated for the Mahila Samridhi Yojana under which eligible women will get Rs 2,500 monthly.
Notably, the BJP had in their poll manifesto also decided to launch “Atal canteens” in JJ clusters to provide nutritious meals at an extremely cheap price of Rs 5. An amount of Rs 100 crore has been earmarked for the same.
The government prioritised the revival of the Yamuna river in its Rs 9,000 crore allocation for water and sanitation, aiming to restore its lost glory and address decades of pollution and neglect.
The Delhi Government also allocated Rs 696 crore to the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board for the development of slums and JJ colonies. This marks a 157 per cent increase compared to last year’s allocation.