Minister of state for Finance Chandrima Bhattacharya today presented a 3.21 lakh crore budget for the 2022-23 fiscal, assuring 1.2 crore jobs in four years and proposed a two-year exemption on registration and road tax on CNG vehicles along with a relief to home buyers, amid a walkout by Opposition BJP.
Revenue receipts are pegged at Rs 1,98,047 crore, while the state government proposes to raise public debt to the tune of Rs 1,14,958 crore. Capital expenditure for the fiscal is estimated to be Rs 33,144 crore, and revenue expenditure is pegged at Rs 2,26,326 crore.
Discussing the details of the budget, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said: “This budget is Joy Bangla budget. It is a common man’s budget to bring smiles to all faces. Despite reeling under the problems caused due to the Covid pandemic and frequent natural disasters, our government has managed to generate a 3.63 times higher revenue with the revenue collection increasing from Rs 21,129 crore (in 2010-11) to a proposed Rs 79,347 crore (in 2022-23)”.
The state government has managed to reduce the debt GDP ratio from 40 to 34 per cent, revenue deficit from 3.75 to 1.65 per cent and fiscal deficit from 4.24 to 3.64 per cent, Miss Banerjee added.
Elaborating on the various parameters, Miss Banerjee said total budgetary allocation has been raised by 3.8 times, state development allocation by 6.7 times, capital outlay by 15 times, social sector allocation by 10.7 times and all departmental allocations have been increased substantially namely agriculture and allied services by 11 times, higher education 25 times, agriculture department 33.2 times, health and family welfare 19.3, women and child development and social welfare 17.5 times and others.
Miss Banerjee claimed that the social security that is provided in West Bengal is not found anywhere else in the country. “All our social sector schemes will continue and this is a big thing. Seventy-eight lakh farmers are getting assistance under the Krishak Bandhu scheme. We have allotted Rs 10,000 crore for Lakshmir Bhandar scheme under which 1.53 crore women are being benefited. Around 9.5 crore and 10 crore people are included under Swasthya Sathi and Khadya Sathi schemes respectively. Presently, we are providing social pension to over 70 lakh beneficiaries with an annual financial involvement of Rs 9,000 crore,” Miss Banerjee said,
Slamming the Centre for not releasing the state’s pending dues amounting to Rs 90.000 crore, Miss Banerjee said: “They (read the central government) take away GST from our state but do not provide us the allotted GST compensation. Our disaster-related assistance are still due. We owe Rs 6334 crore relief assistance for the Bulbul cyclone, Rs 32,310 crore for Amphan and Rs 4222 crore for Yaas. Again, Rs 15,865 crore is due under Sarva Shiksha Mission, Rs 2330 under Backward Region Grant Fund and Rs 1264 crore under food subsidy.”
Hitting out at the BJP for lying about delayed pension, Miss Banerjee said Bengal is the only state to provide pension to state government employees. The BJP leaders who are giving lectures should know that none of the BJP-run states provide pension, she added. She further apprehended over a fuel price hike.
“It is being heard that petrol-diesel prices will be increased. Economy has failed under the BJP regime. There is no money in the hands of people. Unemployment and poverty have increased in the country. In contrast, we provide money to the people of West Bengal through various schemes,” she said.
Mrs Bhattacharya said that in order to incentivise investment in battery operated two and four-wheeler electric vehicles and reduction in carbon footprint as well as to reduce dependence on petrol/diesel, registration fee and road tax has been exempted on all categories of CNG vehicles for the next two years. Further, the government has extended exemption of two per cent rebate on stamp duty and 10 per cent on circle rate of land/ property for another six months upto 30 September 2022.
Soon after Mrs Bhattacharya started presenting the budget, BJP MLAs started to raise slogans against the state government, claiming that the true picture of the state’s economy was not being portrayed. Mrs Bhattacharya continued her speech amidst the ruckus. Finally, the MLAs staged a walkout