Haryana Budget 2023-24: Plethora of sops for all sections

Geetanjali Gayatri & Vijay C Roy

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Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 23

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said that GYAN – to ensure adequate facilities for the underprivileged (Garib) and farmers (Anndata), while also enhancing development opportunities for the youth (Yuva) and empowering women (Narishakti) — will be the Haryana Government’s priority in 2024-25.

Khattar was speaking with the media after his Budget speech here today. Explaining the Budget in one sentence, the Chief Minister mentioned Rahim’s couplet to highlight that initiating many tasks at once results in incomplete tasks which is why he has drafted the Budget in a way that it focusses on what is priority. He referred to Antyodaya as the spirit of the state government.

Earlier, while Khattar was presenting the Budget and speaking on the interest and penalty waiver for farmers, his speech was interrupted by the Leader of Opposition Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Hooda questioned Khattar about the imposition of National Security Act (NSA) on farmers at Haryana borders.

Responding to this, Khattar said that farmers were as dear to him as they were to Hooda. Maintaining that he himself was the son of a farmer who had ploughed the field, Khattar added, “If you have issues with the waiver scheme for the farmers, you can raise it during the debate on the Budget.”

The Budget aims to empower farmers, women, youth and usher in development through building of infrastructure. In his Budget, the CM announced waiver of interest and penalties on crop loan availed through Primary Agriculture Credit Society (PACS) till September 30, 2023. To avail the waiver, the farmers would have to deposit the principal amount by May 2024. It is expected that 5,47,900 farmers are going to benefit by the move and the waiver amounts to Rs 1,739 crore. Khattar also dropped the levy of charges on canal water. “I propose to stop the levy of ‘abiana’ (charges) from April 1, 2024,” he said, providing relief to farmers of 4,299 villages.

Announcing that when water flow exceeds 24,000 cusecs (excess water available for a short period) during the monsoon, it would be stored and pipelines would be laid to carry water for irrigation in water-scarce districts of Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri and Hisar. Khattar said that pipelines would also be laid to carry water to Rajasthan, evoking strong protests from the Opposition benches.

Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Congress MLAs Raghuvir Singh Kadian and Kiran Choudhry opposed the idea of diverting water to the bordering state, maintaining that it should be distributed in Haryana. “You should have retained the Dadupur-Nalvi canal and given this water to the farmers of the state,” Hooda said.

Khattar said that giving water was in the interest of the state. “Sometimes, we get nearly 8 lakh cusecs of water which results in flooding of six or more districts. This can save flooding in our state and benefit them,” Khattar said even as Kadian maintained that an MoU signed in this regard should be cancelled. Two projects have been planned to solve the water problem of Mewat region. These include re-modelling of Gurugram water supply channel and Mewat feeder pipeline project.

He also proposed to extend the pro-active pension provision to widowers (men above the age of 40 years), unmarried men (above 45 years) and provide Financial Assistance to Destitute Children (FADC) and Financial Assistance to Non-School Going Disabled Children (FANSG) in the next three months. He also proposed to amend the Old Age Samman Allowance Scheme to extend the benefit to EPF pensioners by providing the balance amount in case it is less than Rs 3,000 per month.

Stating that he is committed to empowering women, Khattar announced the “Drone Didi” and “Lakhpati Didi” initiatives. The CM proposed to train them in drone operations in view of the growing application of drones in various fields.

“I propose to train 5,000 sisters of 500 women SHGs in drone operations and maintenance and provide one drone each to the SHGs. They may rent it to farmers for agricultural purposes,” he added.

Excess water to be given to R’sthan

Announcing that when water flow exceeds 24,000 cusecs (excess water available for a short period) during the monsoon, it would be stored and pipelines would be laid to carry water for irrigation in water-scarce districts of Bhiwani, Charkhi Dadri and Hisar. Khattar said that pipelines would also be laid to carry water to Rajasthan, evoking strong protests from the Opposition benches.

38% hike for agri, allied sectors

Rs 7,570.77 crore for agriculture and allied sectors and cooperation which is an increase of 38.9 per cent over the revised estimates of Rs 5,449 crore of current year. The government intends to waive interest and penalty on the crop loan availed till September 2023

Health sector gets shot in arm

Rs 9,579 crore to the health, medical education and AYUSH sectors, an increase of 24% over the revised estimates of Rs 7,732 crore of the current year. Centre of Excellence in Preventive Health is under process at Shaheed Hasan Khan Mewati Government Medical College

Makeover for Villages

Rs 7,276.77 crore to the rural sector for 2024-25 which is an increase of 17.11 per cent of the revised estimates of Rs 6,213.27 crore for the current year. The state government to set up solid waste management in rural areas which will lead to cleaner villages.

Boost for sportspersons

The state proposes to set up 400 sports nurseries in FY 2024-25 in addition to the 1,100 sports nurseries allotted last year.

LEADERSPEAK

Failed budget of failed govt

This is a failed Budget of a failed government. The Budget has again disappointed every section of society. Bhupinder Singh Hooda, ex-CM

Every section to benefit

In view of the new initiatives announced by the CM, every section of society will benefit from the Budget. Dushyant Chautala, Deputy CM

Vision for developed state

The Budget has something for every section of society. It lays a vision for a developed Haryana. Nayab Singh Saini, state BJP chief

Nothing for common man

A major portion of receipts will go into repayment of debt, which has risen to Rs 3.18L crore. It has nothing to offer to common man. Abhay Chautala, INLD

Total budget Rs 1,89,876.61 crore

HIGHLIGHTS

• Rs 10-crore start-up fund to promote manufacturing of unmanned aerial vehicles or drones
• Bio-Tech Incentive Policy to be notified in the next 6 months
• To create land bank of 10,000 acres
• Heli-hub to be started in Gurugram and feasibility study has been done for eight districts — Jind, Jhajjar, Kaithal, Palwal, Yamunanagar and Sonepat
• New airstrips in Nuh, Yamunanagar, Rohtak and an aviation college in Hisar
• DPR under preparation stage for Aravalli Safari Park spread over 10,000 acres in Gurugram and Nuh districts
• City bus service to be extended to five cities
• Six ITIs—Kurukshetra (2), Sirsa, Hisar, Karnal and Jind
• Hisar Metropolitan Authority to start functioning soon
• Two high performance centres in boxing and wrestling in Panipat and Sonepat
• Three Armed Forces Preparation Institutes to be set up
• Kurukshetra elevated track likely to be commissioned in 2024-25, feasibility study for an elevated track in Kaithal and Bahadurgarh underway, Patli-Manesar line of Haryana Orbital Rail Corridor likely to be commissioned in 2024-25
• 100 new Har-Hith stores to be opened
• Rs 50,000 loan to middle class and poor people (annual income less than Rs 1.80 lakh) for setting up rooftop solar panels