Himachal Budget 2022: CM Jai Ram Thakur promises 30,000 new jobs, says state's debt remains point of worry

Pratibha Chauhan
Shimla, March 4

Despite this being an election year, Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur desisted from announcing major elections sops to woo the electorate, considering the grim financial health of the State as he presented a “feel good tax-free”  budget of Rs 51,365 crore for the financial year 2022-23.

Thakur, who also holds the Finance portfolio, presented his fifth budget in the last year of his term for the financial year 2022-23, with assembly elections due later this year. Thakur announced 10 new schemes while promising to create 30,000 jobs in the government and private sector. “Despite the financial health of the state not being very rosy due to Covid, I have tried my best to address the issues of every section, be it women, employees, farmers, and the under-privileged,” he said.

The most worrisome factor in the budget remains the galloping debt burden, which has touched Rs 62,300 crore. With mounting committed liabilities on account of salaries, pensions, interest and loan repayment, what is left for development works is a mere Rs 29 in every Rs 100. The announcement for an increase in MLA Area Development Fund from Rs 1.80 crore to Rs 2 crore and MLA Discretionary Grant from Rs 10 lakh to Rs 12 lakh was met with thumping of tables by both the treasury and opposition benches.

“With the farm sector coming as major help during the Covid pandemic, which has helped us improve our growth rate, I have tried to announce several schemes for this crucial sector,” said Thakur.

Thakur while announcing 10 new schemes in the budget made an unprecedented increase of almost three times in spending in the social security cover as Rs 1,300 crore will be spent on providing pension to 7.50 lakh persons. The age limit for old age, widow and destitute women monthly pension has been reduced to 60 years and an enhancement made from Rs 700  to Rs 1,000, pension for those above 70 years hiked from Rs 1,100 to Rs 1,500 and pension for lepers and transgender up from Rs 700 to Rs 850 per month.

As a tribute to Satyanand Stokes, credited with introducing apple in Himachal, CM announced the development of a Kotgarh-Thanedhar trail on his 75th death anniversary. Another unique feature of this budget has been the introduction of a separate Gender Budget statement, highlighting the major schemes devoted towards women’s welfare and empowerment.

Thakur announced a quantum jump in the honorarium being given to elected representatives of urban local bodies and panchayati raj institutions including the mayor, councillors, Zila Parishad, and Panchayat Samiti heads and members.

Giving a major thrust to the farm sector, CM announced that 50,000 acres of land will be brought under natural farming and four new grain mandis would be developed at a cost of Rs 15 crore. Irrigation facilities will be made available in 9,000 hectares of additional land in the horticulture sector and a new 5,000 MT capacity cold store will be set up at Parala Mandi at a cost of Rs 60.93 crore. Besides, 13 market yards will be developed and upgraded under JICA aided project Phase-II.

The proposals include the construction of 1,500 km roads to be constructed under Pradhan Mantra Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY).