Budget aims to create ‘self-reliant’ state, Kamal Nath says ‘bundle of lies’

With the aim to develop an “Atmanirbhar Madhya Pradesh” and increase local production to at least 10 trillion rupees, Finance Minister Jagdish Devda on Tuesday presented a budget of Rs 2.41 lakh crore for 2021-22 in the Assembly.

With no additional tax burden, Devda said a provision of Rs 5,962 crore has been made for the Jal Jeevan Mission to provide tap water to households — a jump of nearly 337 per cent over 2020-21. The budget makes a provision of Rs 24,911 crore for the ST sub-plan and Rs 17,980 for SC sub-plan. Devda announced that 24,200 teacher vacancies will be filled up while a provision of Rs 9,793 crore has been made for the establishment of primary schools.

Devda said the agriculture sector is the government’s top priority, with a provision of Rs 3,200 crore towards CM Kisan Kalyan Yojna and another Rs 1,000 crore for interest grant on short-term loans to farmers.

Devda said that it is estimated that the revenue receipts for 2020-21 will be 5.05 percent less compared to the previous year.

For infrastructure, the budget has made a provision of Rs 44,152 crore, Rs 40,958 crore has been allocated for providing quality education at government schools and nine new government medical colleges will also be set up, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said.

Amid the pandemic, his government provided adequate assistance to farmers and those schemes will continue, the chief minister said.

However, Leader of Opposition Kamal Nath criticised the budget, calling it a bundle of lies and jugglery of numbers. “We hoped that this budget would provide some respite to the common man by lowering the high petrol-diesel rates but this budget has nothing new. It is against people’s expectations.”