Vasundhara Raje's election-year budget likely to be a bag of goodies

JAIPUR: Chief minister Vasundhara Raje will present the last budget of her tenure on Monday which is expected to be high on populism rather than fiscal prudence.
Even though she has limited fiscal headroom, Raje will definitely maneuver limited resources at her disposal to reach out to all, especially the large farmers' community who have agitated in the past for farm loan waiver.

"Enhancing rural infrastructure with focus on health, education and social sector schemes like pension, insurance is expected to be the broader theme of the budget this year," said Pradeep S Mehta, secretary general of CUTS International. The state stood at 20th position among 21 bigger states in the NITI Aayog's health index. Raje is expected to take note of this and initiate measures to improve healthcare service.

If the results of recent bypolls are any indication about the disillusionment of people with the current government, she will walk the extra mile, despite fiscal constraints, to pacify the public.

Experts said tourism would get a bigger focus as it can impact village economy by providing livelihood opportunities for a large segment of people in the unorganized sector.