Gandhinagar: The BJP-ruled Gujarat Government on Friday presented a Rs. 3.32 trillion (lakh-crore) budget for the financial year 2024-25, imposing no new taxes, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections scheduled to be held in April-May this year.
Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai presented the budget for FY25 in the State Assembly here on the second day of the Budget Session.
He informed the House that the budget outlay of Rs 3,32,465 crore for 2024-25 indicates an increase of Rs 31,444 crore, or 10.44 percent, over the previous fiscal.
The State Government presented the budget with an estimated surplus of Rs. 146.72 crores.
In his budget speech, Desai announced several schemes and projects and said the government kept ‘Garib’ (the poor), Yuva’ (youth), ‘Annadata’ (farmer), and Nari Shakti’ (women’s power) at the core while preparing the budget.
Under the newly proposed Namo Lakshmi scheme, girls studying in government-aided, and private schools from Classes 9 to 12 will be given Rs 50,000 over the four years of their education. A provision of Rs 1,250 crore has been made in the budget for this program.
Under the Namo Shri scheme, pregnant women belonging to backward and poor sections will be provided financial assistance of Rs 12,000 and a provision of Rs 750 crore has been made in the budget.
The finance minister also announced the conversion of seven municipalities– Navsari, Gandhidham, Morbi, Vapi, Anand, Mehsana, and Surendranagar-Wadhwan– into municipal corporations.
He announced the Jan Rakshak scheme wherein all the emergency services, including police and fire brigade, can be accessed centrally by dialing 112.
The state budget also provides for the extension of the existing riverfront on the Sabarmati River in Ahmedabad until GIFT-City (Gujarat International Finance Tec-City) in Gandhinagar in Phases 4 and 5.
While no new taxes were proposed, the government proposed to give citizens a relief of Rs 754 crore by easing some provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act and stamp duty.
(VP)