Express News Service
JAIPUR: With Rajasthan going to polls next year, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot tried to reach out to all sections by making several populist announcements in his budget presented on Wednesday. At a time when political parties across the country are out to woo farmers, a separate agriculture budget was presented for the first time.
In a major relief to the government employees, the CM overturned the decision of the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government at the Centre and announced to end the contributory pension scheme. The old pension system has been restored under which, all employees appointed on and after January 1, 2004, will get full pension when they retire.
The salary of contractual workers will increase by 20 per cent from April 1. On the job front, the CM in his three-hour budget speech announced to do recruitment on 1 lakh posts in government departments. Another major announcement was Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme, under which 100 days of employment will be available from next year in urban areas, on the lines of MGNREGS. Also, work under MGNREGS will be available for 125 days a year instead of 100 days.
No new taxes have been introduced in a relief for the common man. For the welfare of women, the CM announced to give smartphones to 1.33 crore women. Under the Work from Home scheme, 20,000 women will be given employment sitting at home.
Presenting the agriculture budget, the CM proposed raising the budget for CM Krishak Saathi Yojana from Rs 2,000 crore to Rs 5,000 crore to implement 11 schemes on a mission mode. The chief minister announced 60 per cent subsidy to one lakh farmers on installation of solar pump sets with an expenditure of Rs 5,000 crore. The government will also clear pending 3.38 lakh electricity connections to the farmers at a cost of Rs 6,700 crore. Interest-free crop loans amounting to Rs 20,000 crore will be distributed and five lakh new farmers will be included, Gehlot said.
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