Delhi Budget Speech 2016-2017

BUDGET SPEECH

2016-2017

[ PART A ]

Hon’ble Speaker Sir,

1. I rise to present the Budget for the financial year 2016-17.

2. This budget for GNCTD is a statement of tax collected from hard earned money of the people of Delhi and its honest utilization. The guiding principle of this budget is –if work is done with honesty and wisdom, then not only does it benefit the maximum people but also results in saving of costs, reduction in expenditure and completion of works expeditiously.

3. Before I present the financial proposals, I would like to dwell upon some of the conventions and myths associated with budget making. One of these pertaining to division of expenditure under ‘plan’ and ‘non-plan’, was also highlighted by Hon’ble Union Finance Minister in his budget speech. I agree with him. This conventional segregation of expenditure is artificial in nature. For the common man, expenditure made by the government is the budget. The ‘aamaadmi’ may best understand the budgetary allocations by segregating expenditure in terms of initial cost and recurring cost of the project/ scheme/ programme.

4. Another practice often used to assess the performance of a Government is evaluating the percentage of expenditure as against the budgeted targets. Whereas what really needs to be examined is the optimum utilization of resources, honesty and sincerity in use of public money, the participation of people and extent of benefit to the citizens at large. The aim of the Government is not spending the allocated money, but ensuring that every rupee spent makes a difference in the lives of the people.

5. Sir, I begin this address with expressing our deep commitment to all the promises made in the election manifesto. For us our election manifesto is no less than a holy book, a binding contract between the Government and the citizens. Unlike other political parties, which after winning the election declare their manifesto promises as mere “jumla”, we consider it is a solemn pledge. I wish to share with this august House that the ministers in this Government have the digital copy of manifesto stored in their cellphone, for a constant reminder of the commitment to the people of Delhi.

6. This Government, led by the able guidance and leadership of our Honourable Chief Minister, has fulfilled many of the electoral promises, has established efficient governance and cracked down on corruption. Today, the electricity bill of approximately 90% domestic consumers have reduced; and free life-line water is made available to approx. 10Lac families resulting in increase in the revenues of Delhi Jal Board, and promoting water conservation . We have made a significant beginning by implementing ‘zero-tolerance towards corruption’ policy. We lose no time, however highly placed a person be including a minister, to take action against any act of corruption. The Government has initiated several systematic reforms aimed towards elimination of corruption at the cutting edge of the administration where the human interface between the citizens and Government is being replaced with technological solutions. This august Assembly passed the historic Delhi Jan Lokpal Bill 2015, in November 2015 and the people are eagerly awaiting the approval of the Government of India of the bill. Despite the constant attempts of the Central Government to destabilise the anti-corruption efforts of this Government, which include physical capture of the Anti-Corruption Branch and stalling of anti-graft legislations; we have managed to plugloopholes and leakages, substantially augment revenue, reduce wasteful expenditure and timely completion of infrastructure projects. This has provided significant additional resources for the Government, now being utilised for providing free medicines to the poor, free supply of life line water, electricity subsidy and compensation to farmers.

7. Before I delve in detail into the budget proposals, let me take this opportunity to convey our heart-felt gratitude to the people of Delhi for their support and partnership in the successful implementation of the Government’s daring odd-even scheme. Together we silenced all critics and pessimists who prophesied doom. The Odd Even scheme received overwhelming response. Pollution fell steadily as support of the people rose - formidable traffic jams cleared to wide, open roads. The world looked on in appreciation as Delhi once again said yes to another change, another first. Various global organization and thinkers applauded this initiative including the world’s reputed magazine ‘Fortune’ that awarded people’s Chief Minister and the leader of this august house as one of the top 50 greatest leaders of our times. He is the only Indian on that list. I salute the participatory gesture of the people of Delhi for the larger good of the citizens. In his first speech as Hon’ble Chief Minister of Delhi, Shri Arvind Kejriwal said and I quote “Today every citizen of Delhi has become Chief Minister.” This has been the guiding principle of our governance and we have espoused to socially, economically and politically empower each citizen of Delhi. And I am certain that with such participation and co-operation from citizens, who are the real stakeholders in our model of governance, we will be able to face all challenges.

8. Sir, the priorities of our Government are linked to the hopes and aspirations of “aamaadmi”. We have a vision for Delhi as a city of global standards in healthcare, education, urban transport, women safety & security, sanitation and employment opportunities. We don’t want to develop Delhi as a smart city only for a part of Delhi, or for a special group of people. We will tirelessly work to chisel this vision by enhancing people’s wellbeing across class, caste, religion and generations by improving their choices in health, education, income, expenditure, ensuring their freedom and providing opportunities for meaningful participation in society.

Economic Scenario

9. The Gross State Domestic Product of Delhi at current prices is likely to increase to ₹ 558745 crore in 2015-16 from ₹ 494460 crore in 2014-15, indicating a growth of 13 percent. This is as per the new series of estimates of State Domestic Product of Delhi, with base year 2011-12. In real terms at constant prices, the growth in GSDP of Delhi in 2015-16 is expected to be 8.34 percent which exceeds 7.6 percent at the national level. The contribution of Delhi to the national level GDP has increased from 3.93 percent in 2011-12 to 4.02 percent in 2015-16 though we are only 1.43 percent of total population. The contribution of tertiary sector in GSDP of Delhi is 82.3 percent followed by 15.5 percent of secondary sector and 2.2 percent of primary sector.

10. The per capitaincome of Delhi at current prices is likely to increase to Rs.  280142 in 2015-16 from ₹ 252011 in 2014-15. This shows 11% growth in the per capita income of Delhi in 2015-16 which is a healthy sign. The per capita income at national level has increased from ₹ 86879 in 2014-15 to Rs.  93231 in 2015-16.The per capita income of Delhi is about three times higher than the per capita income at the national level.

Price Situation

11. Our Government is constantly monitoring prices of essential commodities, proactively reacting to market turbulences and making timely market intervention, thereby curtailing the rate of inflation in Delhi during 2015 to 4.9 percent as compared to 7.8 percent in Chennai, 7.4 percent in Mumbai and 5.7 percent at national level.

Financial Position

12. We have strengthened our financial position despite the shadow of global economic slowdown and domestic economic uncertainty with unpleasant financial indicators. We have controlled leakage of our resources, augmented our revenues and overcome the economic slowdown through additional resource mobilization. We expect a growth of 17 percent in tax revenue in the current year as compared to 2.64 percent during 2014-15. In case of state excise we are expecting a growth of 31 percent in 2015-16 as compared to 8.60 percent in 2014-15. Similarly, under Stamps Registration Fees a growth of 21 percent is expected in this year as against negative growth of 4.3 percent in the last year. Our Tax – GSDP ratio which was 5.4percent in 2014-15 is expected to increase to 5.6 percent in 2015-16. I would like to reiterate what our Hon’ble Chief Minister has previously stated- that – there isn’t a shortage of financial resources in the government. However, there was a shortage of integrity and honesty. Tax collection is automatically enhanced when there is an honest government in office. Therefore, in this financial year, we have seen a historic growth of 17% in tax revenue, 31% in state excise and 21% in Stamp Duty.

Revised Estimates 2015-16

13. Sir, our current year’s non plan expenditure was budgeted and approved for ₹ 22129 crore. I’m happy to inform that we will manage to restrict the total non-plan expenditure to the level of ₹ 21565 crore in the current financial year despite giving an unforeseen loan of ₹ 551 crore to North and East Municipal Corporation, which was not a part of the original estimates of non-plan expenditure. This is possible only because of prudent use of public money. The plan outlay which was budgeted and approved for ₹ 19000 crore is proposed to pan out at ₹ 16400 crore levels in the revised estimates 2015-16.The revised plan outlay of ₹ 16400 crore in 2015-16 is 17.3 percent higher than the plan expenditure of ₹ 13980 crore in 2014-15.Our total revised estimated expenditure for the current year is Rs.  37965 crore against the total budget estimate of ₹ 41129 crore.

Supplementary Demand for Grants 2015-16

14. Sir, Supplementary Demand for Grant of ₹ 1420.45 crore will be required under revised estimates. I, therefore, seek the approval of the House for Supplementary Demands.

Budget Estimates 2016-17

15. Sir, the total budget estimates for the year 2016-17 is ₹ 46600 crore which includes ₹ 20600 crore plan outlay and ₹ 26000 crore for non-plan expenditure.

16. The proposed budget of ₹ 46600 crore will be financed from our tax revenue of ₹ 36525 crore, non-tax revenue of ₹ 996 crore, capital receipts of ₹ 381 crore, small savings loan of ₹ 3174 crore, compensation of CST / VAT of ₹ 1400 crore, Centrally Sponsored Schemes of ₹ 1300 crore, Normal Central Assistance of ₹ 413 crore, Share in Central taxes of ₹ 325 crore, other receipts from Government of India of ₹ 432 crore and the remaining amount from the opening balance.

17. The proposed total expenditure of ₹ 46600 crore includes ₹ 6919 crore to the local bodies in 2016-17 as against ₹ 5908 crore in BE and ₹ 5999 crore in RE 2015-16.

Major Programmes

Honest Governance, People’s Participation

18. “The budget is not just a collection of numbers, but an expression of our values and aspirations” Jacob Lew (current United States Secretary of the Treasury). With that in my mind, I present the following:

19. A number of initiatives have been implemented by the Government with administrative and technical reforms towards transparent and responsive administration. Our Government has implemented the e-districts project for delivery of hassle free services to the common man and to provide timely, state-of-the-art, transparent, and comfortable services to the citizens. This e-governance initiative has adopted process reengineering with the help of technology that facilitates citizens to have easy access to various kinds of Government services and has eliminated the role of intermediaries / agents and prevented forgery of documents / certificates. The need for submitting 200 types of affidavits has also been abolished. The Government has further simplified the procedure for availing public services by doing away with the requirement of attestation of documents to be submitted to Government offices from December 2015.

20. The Wi-Fi network is seen as key infrastructure for Smart Government. The Government is exploring implementation of wireless internet access (Wi-Fi) in public locations. Different technical, financial and organizational models are being piloted like Proof of concept for Wi-Fi in buses, Outdoor Wi-Fi PoC in Burari and NDMC Wi-Fi model. Based on experiences and learning’s from these, the Government will structure the best quality Wi-Fi to consumers and at the least cost to the exchequer.

21. A participatory budgeting process under the Swaraj Fund Scheme was started in 2015-16 with the objective of decentralization of governance and giving real decision making power to the citizens of Delhi. It was successfully piloted in 11 Assembly Constituencies. Wide public consultations were held through Mohalla Sabhas, works were recommended locally, and are being executed. This Scheme is being extended to all the Constituencies in 2016-17. In line with the Government’s vision of Swaraj, each Mohalla will be given funds to carry out works locally. I propose ₹ 350 crore in 2016-17 for Citizen Local Area Development (CLAD) scheme.

22. To ensure transparency and efficient delivery of ration cards, Government, has launched the e-Ration Card Services through which people can apply and obtain Ration Cards. About 5.57 lakh ration card holders benefitted from this service. The ration card portability has been made operative in Delhi Cantonment area on pilot basis which gives the option to the consumers to collect ration from any FPS of his choice in the same Constituency. This will gradually be replicated across Delhi.

23. A pilot project for installation of Point of Sale (POS) devices at 40 Fair Price Shops has already been implemented where ration is issued after biometric authentication. This system will be replicated in 2400 Fair Price Shops in a six months’ time to ensure delivery of food grains to the actual beneficiaries in a transparent manner.

24. The Government is prepared for disbursing all the payments under various social welfare and social security schemes through the Aadhaar linked Direct Benefit Transfer by using Public Finance Management System, for which an enactment is under process. This will bring transparency and efficiency in utilization of public money earmarked for all the welfare schemes of the Government and will ensure that the benefit reaches the genuine, eligible and targeted beneficiary.

25. It is proposed to start Aam Aadmi Canteens in Delhi for proving nutritious and hygienic food, at low prices, to citizens, particularly the poor and down trodden who find it difficult to have a proper meal, like rickshaw pullers, daily wage labourers, construction workers etc. The Bureau of Affordable Meals has been setup to monitor and coordinate the functioning of these canteens. I propose a sum of ₹ 10 crore for this for the financial year 2016-17.

Education

26. Hon’ble Sir, it has been well established that education and health are two of the most important priorities of this government. In my budget speech last year I had said, “..a society that does not build itself upon the foundation of education would eventually find hollowness in its prosperity and well-being.” Our government believes that the money spent on education and health is not an ‘expense’, but an investment into the well being of coming generations.

27. Our government has a three-fold approach towards education: first, providing adequate facilities and infrastructure; second, ensuring adequate number of capable and dynamic teachers and finally, improving curriculum and teaching practices to ensure that the students are not merely excellent professionals, but responsible citizens and good human beings. In the past one year, while we have been working on all three dimensions, our predominant focus has been on the provision of facilities and infrastructure. 21 new school buildings have been constructed, which can be run in two shifts as 42 schools. 8000 classrooms are being constructed in the existing government schools. These would probably be available to use from July onwards. This effectively means that the infrastructure equivalent to 200 new schools has been added to our government schools. And if these schools are used in two shifts, then we have enhanced the infrastructural capacity equivalent to 400 schools within one year of our government. Therefore, in the second year of our government, we have added infrastructure equivalent to 442 schools. This has been made possible due to the fact that we doubled the education budget last year.

28. Before moving to the proposals for the coming year, I would like to inform the House that every government school in Delhi is well maintained with high levels of cleanliness. We have ensured that toilets are functional and hygienic, separate toilets have been ensured for girls, clean drinking water is available in all schools and all classrooms have green-boards. I personally inspected nearly 100 government schools in this year. The overall condition of all the schools has been improved significantly.

29. Principals and teachers need to focus only on academics, and therefore we have ensured that their time is not spent on non-academic activities. For the first time a decision was taken that teachers would not be put on duty for census family register, etc. This was a strong but essential step. Another pioneering step has been the appointment of an Estate Manager in every government school, who would be responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of the school building and premises. This Estate Manager would provide daily reports and video clips of the cleanliness of the school campus, functionality of toilets, availability of drinking water, security arrangements, etc within 2 hours of the opening of the schools to the District level Deputy Directors of Education. This would be done via a mobile app, which has been developed for this purpose. The Deputy Director would take cognisance of this report, take the required action to resolve issue within schools and then send a report to the Directorate of Education and the Minister of Education. Therefore, within 4 hours of the beginning of the school day, the Education Minister would have detailed analytics about the status of each school, on his mobile phone. In another path-breaking initiative, the government is getting CCTV cameras installed in every classroom, whose feed would be available to all officials, the Education Minister and parents. I propose a plan outlay of ₹ 100 crore for this scheme in year 2016-17.

30. It is our goal that within the next 3 years we will make government schools better than private schools. Towards this end we have started the process of recruitment of capable and committed teachers. The process of recruiting and appointing 5500 teachers is in its final stages. Entrance exams for the process of regularisation of guest teachers are also in its final stages. For this end, 9623 new teachers’ posts have been sanctioned.

31. However our goal of making government schools better than private schools does not end at improving infrastructure and recruitment of teachers. The core of the educational improvement process lies in building the capacity of teachers. Therefore, the major focus for this year is on the training and capacity building of teachers and Principals. We will be sending our teachers and principals for their professional development to some of the best universities in the world like Harvard, Cambridge and Oxford. We are overhauling the training content and infrastructure of SCERT. For this, we propose a sum of ₹ 102 crore in 2016-17 as against ₹ 9.4 crore in 2015-16.

32. Extra-curricular activities like theatre, music, creative writing and photography will be introduced in schools and the academic syllabus shall be reduced. We are allocating a sum of ₹ 8 Crore for this.

33. Every child should also have access to sports, and for this end we are initiating multiple schemes which include the opening of school playgrounds for sports organisations, preparing world-class football grounds and tennis courts in 55 schools. The government is also in the process of starting a Sports School and a Sports University in Delhi. Plan outlay of ₹ 48 crore has been proposed for supporting sportspersons and upgrading sports infrastructure.

34. As a part of the National Skill Qualification Framework, vocational training has been initiated in 205 schools for students from Class 9 onwards. Our objective is that students should not only acquire academic and research oriented skills in their schooling, but also vocational skills to provide them immediate employment. For providing this Skill Education in schools, we are allocating ₹ 152crore in 2016-17.

35. In the very first year of its introduction, more than 45,000 students in 205 schools have opted for studying vocational skills. Seeing this enthusiasm, our government has decided to commence vocational courses in more than 100 Smart Career Colleges, which would be run by private companies with expertise in different domains. We are aiming to train more than 50000 students in different Skills and Vocations in this coming financial year. For this the government has set aside a budget of ₹ 50 crore. The government is also re-starting the State Apprenticeship Scheme for giving on the job training to the youth, which had been shut down since 2006.

36. The government has started two ITIs this year - in Nand Nagri and Mangolpuri. Work on ITIs and a World Class Skill Centre is moving at a fast pace in Ranhola, Bakarwala and Jaunapur. We have signed agreements with companies like Maruti, Siemens,, Microsoft, Labor Net and Itasha to make teaching in ITIs more vibrant. The government is starting a polytechnic in Rajokri this year. Work on polytechnics in Mandoli, Qadipur, Bakkarwala and Jharoda Majra is in full swing.

37. We have also started a Bachelor’s program in Vocational Studies, for students who pass out from Smart Career Colleges, ITIs and Polytechnics.

38. To expand the opportunities for undergraduate and postgraduate education, construction of new campuses of Ambedkar University of Delhi (AUD) will commence at Rohini and Dheerpur. In addition, a new campus of AUD will commence at Karampura from the forthcoming academic session. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya College and Shaheed Sukhdev College of Business Studies will shift to their new buildings in the coming year. Construction of Acharya Narendra Dev College, Bhagini Nivedita College and East campus of GGSIPU will start in 2016-17. Over time, new campuses / colleges are planned to be set up at Vivek Vihar, Mandoli and Narela.

39. The government has also given in-principle approval for second shift / evening classes in three colleges of Delhi University and for new courses in seven Delhi Government funded colleges.

40. I am proud to announce that the long pending Delhi Pharmaceutical Sciences and Research University (DPSRU) was made functional from Academic Session 2015-16. We have passed the bill for Netaji Subhas University of Technology which has been submitted to Govt. of India for approval. Land has been identified for Sports University and Skills University and we hope to complete the preparatory activities in 2016-17. Construction of Phase II of IIIT is in full swing which wills double its intake capacity.

41. Education is not complete without an enabling ecosystem that gives full rein to our students’ ideas for technological and social innovations. We have launched the incubation policy for educational institutions and have given financial assistance for incubation centres in six diverse institutions. We plan to set up incubation centres in our other institutions also in the forthcoming year, and make our educational institutions hubs for entrepreneurship, research and innovation.

42. I propose total expenditure of ₹ 10690 crore for the education sector in the financial year 2016-17. Of this, ₹ 4645crore is for plan expenditure which is 23 percent of total plan outlay and the highest among all the sectors under plan.

Health

43. The health system in Delhi is geared to manage over three crore OPD consultations and over six lakh admissions each year from the state and the neighbouring areas. It is difficult to cope with the huge pressure of providing healthcare of this magnitude with the existing health infrastructure. In order to improve the intake and ensure efficient management the existing health system needs to be augmented with better infrastructure and management set-up.

44. Quality healthcare system for the people of Delhi is of utmost priority to this Government, for which a significant budgetary allocation of 1.5 times was given during 2015-16.The public health sector will continue to remain the pivot of developmental works of the government in 2016-17. In a landmark decision by this Government, all medicines and diagnostic tests are made free of cost in all Delhi Government hospitals with effect from 1st March 2016. Till now, Governments have concentrated on private sector healthcare – however our Government is undertaking comprehensive, sector wide reforms in public sector health care and establishing three tier systems for health care delivery – which will be the biggest up-gradation of public healthcare sector in any state.

45. The first tier in the three tier healthcare system is – Mohalla Clinic.The primary care needs are proposed to be met at door step of citizens through Mohalla Clinics. These clinics are designed to address common health care needs of citizens, undertake a large complement of diagnostic tests and provide all essential medicines. These single doctor OPDs seek to address most of the common health care scenarios where specialists are not needed.

46. The first Mohalla Clinic has been successfully operating for the past few months and has elicited much academic interest amongst researchers and public health experts. Recent reports in the Washington Post and Chicago Tribune have lauded the design and concept of Mohalla Clinics and have expressed that such healthcare initiatives can be a great source of learning for the public healthcare sector in USA.

47. The PWD is processing tender for establishing 1000 Mohalla Clinics by end of the year. A pilot for running 100 Mohalla Clinics through empanelled doctors positioned in rented locations is being launched soon.

48. The second tier in the three tier healthcare system is – Polyclinic. The health care situations that require consultation with a specialist are proposed to be undertaken at second level of the three tier health system. The polyclinic will be a step forward from tier 1, where diagnostic test facilities with specialist doctors will be made available. However, admission facilities like hospitals will not be available. The Polyclinics are specialist OPDs where Medicine, Gynaecology, Paediatrics specialists are available every day and orthopaedics, eye and ENT specialists are available on selected days of the week as per a time table. The polyclinics have access to lab network of the government and undertake a wide spectrum of diagnostics. ECG, X Ray and Ultrasound are also proposed to be available at these clinics. The government proposes to establish 150 Polyclinics out of which 20 have already been operationalized.

49. The third tier in the three tier healthcare system is – Hospital. Today, on one-hand for minor health issues like cough and cold, one has to stand in long queues at hospitals– and on other hand the specialist doctors and facilities remain held up in handling these minor health problems. The aim of the Government is to make the first two tiers (Mohalla Clinics and Poly Clinics) handle such illness so that burden on hospitals can be reduced and resources be channelized towards special care. This would decongest hospitals and create a patient friendly environment at the institutions. This system will also improve the efficiency of doctors, nurses and para-medical staff.

50. The existing hospitals are being re-modelled and new institutions are being established. These reforms would provide additional 10,000 beds in the state in next two years.

51. The Government is also undertaking wide spectrum, process reforms in the health system. Government has finalized contours of sector wide, comprehensive Health Information Management System (HIMS) including a health card for citizens with a unique identifier. This would maintain patient information online and ensure seamless flow of information across all transactions of the citizen with the health system.

52. Diagnostics are an important part of health care. The Government proposes to expand and complement its capacities in this regard through PPP based lab and radiology diagnostics services. An outlay of ₹ 70 crore is proposed for lab diagnostics, ₹ 10 crore for Tele Radiology and ₹ 5 crore for CT/MRI facilities to be set up in PPP mode.

53. Our Government is carrying out sector wide reforms in procurement, logistics, and supply chain management are underway and the Health Corporation is being set up. An amount of ₹ 410 crore is proposed for procurement of medicines and, machinery & equipment.

54. Existing fleet of CAT Ambulances is proposed to be expanded with 100 basic and 10 Advanced Life Support Ambulances. The delivery of vehicles is likely to be received by June, 2016.

55. Five “One Stop Centers” are presently functional in the state to provide immediate medical, Police, counselling services to the rape victims. Two more such centers will be functional shortly at Rao Tula Ram Memorial (RTRM) Hospital and Dr. Baba Saheb Ambedkar (BSA) Hospital.

56. I propose total expenditure of ₹ 5259 crore on health in 2016-17. This includes plan budget of ₹ 3200 crore which is 16 percent of total plan outlay.

Public Transport

57. A safe and efficient public transport system is the backbone of any urban economy. Large number of vehicles causing extreme congestion on the roads, decelerating speeds, fuel wastage, environmental pollution and an alarming level of road accident- are cause of great concern for Delhi. It is necessary to motivate citizens to use public transport. The Government is committed to provide a robust, sustainable, safe, accessible, integrated, multi-modal public transport system in the NCT of Delhi. It would be our continued endeavour to work for reducing vehicular pollution, reducing congestion on the roads and augmenting the capacity and safety of the existing means of public transport.

58. DTC has a fleet of 4461 buses which includes 3781 low floor buses and 680 standard floor buses. The Government will procure 1000 new Standard Size UBS-II Compliant Low Floor height Non-AC buses during 2016-17. At present, 1490 cluster buses are operational in Delhi and it is proposed to add 1000 new buses under cluster scheme in 2016-17. Our Government would also introduce 1,000 buses in the premium category through a purely market driven model to encourage the financially well-off to use public transport. To accommodate these new buses, bus depots will be developed at Rewla Khanpur, Dichaun Kalan, Karkari Nahar, Bawana Sector-1 and Dwarka Sector-22. I propose a plan outlay of ₹ 325 crore for purchase of buses and development of bus terminals.

59. Sir, it is proposed to renovate and modernise the ISBTs at Sarai Kale Khan and Anand Vihar with world class passenger amenities during 2016-17. A new ISBT at Dwarka is also proposed to be constructed. About 1397 new Bus Queue Shelters are proposed to be constructed under PPP mode.

60. Sir, our Government is promoting E-rickshaw for last mile connectivity in Delhi. In the current year ₹ 4.97 crore has been given as subsidy to 3709 owners of battery operated vehicles and E-rickshaw. I propose to enhance one time fixed subsidy for E-rickshaw from existing subsidy amount of ₹ 15000 to ₹ 30000 for every E-rickshaw that has been registered by the Transport Department.

61. One Electric bus has been started on a pilot basis and if we get better results, then more such buses will be plied. To promote the use of electric vehicles, the Government will give exemption from payment of road tax on registration of electric vehicles.

62. Delhi Metro daily ridership is about 27 lakh which will be increased to 41 lakh after completion of phase-III metro project in December, 2016. One corridor of phase-III from Jahangirpuri to Badli has been operationalized in November, 2015. About 248 new mini buses are to be inducted increasing the total fleet of feeder buses to 517 on 93 routes during 2016-17. I propose ₹ 763 crore for DMRC in 2016-17.

63. Electronic Ticketing Machines will be introduced in all the buses in addition to Common Mobility Payment Card for un-hindered access to the commuters in DTC buses, metro rail and cluster buses. We would also have a Passenger Information System at each bus stop which would display the real-time location of buses and expected arrival time.

64. I propose a plan outlay of ₹ 1735 crore for Public Transport which is 8.4% percent of the total plan outlay in 2016-17.

Road Infrastructure

65. The elevated road over Barapullah Nallah phase-II from Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium to INA (Aurobindo Marg) will become functional in the year 2016-17. The work on elevated road over Barapullah Nallah phase-III from Sarai Kale Khan to Mayur Vihar at a cost of ₹ 1261 crore is in progress and will be completed by December, 2017. I propose ₹ 400 crore for both the projects for the financial year 2016-17.

66. With an aim to create an accessible public transport system as reliable and convenient as Delhi Metro, we propose two elevated BRT corridor, one along Anand Vihar Terminal to Peeragarhi (East-West Corridor - 29 Kms) and the other from Wazirabad to Airport (North - South Corridor - 24 Kms). Other four stretches of elevated corridors, one underground tunnel from NH 24 bypass to Lodhi Road and corridor improvement of road from Khajuri Khas to Bhopura border will be taken up in 2016-17. Appointment of consultant for conducting feasibility study and preparation of ‘detailed project report’ for corridor improvement plan has been initiated and proposal has been sent to UTIPEC for approval. On successful implementation of the ‘east-west’ and ‘north-south’ elevated BRT corridors, the model will be implemented across Delhi.

67. “If we’re going to talk about transport, I would say that the great city is not the one that has highways, but one where a child on a tricycle or bicycle can go safely everywhere" - Enrique Peñalosa, Mayor of Bagota, Colombia.

68. Sir, our Government is considering re-designing and street-scaping of roads to tackle the problem of traffic congestion due to flaws in the design of roads and thrust upon creating infrastructure for pedestrians/cyclists. To promote public transport, cycling and making streets friendly for pedestrians and physically challenged people, redesigning of 11 roads will be done in 2016-17 as a pilot project. Under this project, street furniture including glass lifts, toilet blocks, plantations, solar powered street lights and rain water harvesting systems will be provided. Later on, it will be extended to entire 1260 kms of PWD roads. Dedicated NMV lane (cycle track) and footpath on both sides of Outer Ring Road from Vikas Puri to Wazirabad (20 Km) is also proposed.

69. I propose planned outlay of ₹ 2208 crore for road infrastructure which is 11% percent of the total plan outlay in 2016-17.

Environment

70. The Government is acutely concerned about the environmental pollution in Delhi. We have initiated a slew of measures to contain pollution in both, the short and the long term.

71. We are constantly monitoring the pollution levels on a real-time basis and have installed six Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Stations in Delhi. It is proposed to increase it to nine. In addition, one Mobile Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Van is also proposed.

72. Sir, the problem of traffic congestion and air pollution is continuously growing in the NCT of Delhi. We are organising Car Free Days on the 22nd of every month to create awareness to de-congest the city roads and to contain air pollution by encouraging the people to use public transport. We also implemented the Odd/Even formula during the first fortnight of January, 2016 on a pilot basis and propose to continue the Odd/Even scheme in 2016-17.

73. Sir, one of the major factors contributing air pollution is the dust raised by vehicles running on roads. Sweeping of roads contributes to air pollution as fine dust particles do not settle down during sweeping and remain suspended thereafter. Under a new scheme “Comprehensive Maintenance of Roads" we will initiate the following measures: mechanized sweeping of roads; routine washing and cleaning of street furniture and signage’s; collection of debris/litter through mechanical sweepers in disposable bio-degradable bags; periodical washing of kerb stones and subways; civil, electrical and horticulture work. I propose ₹ 100 crore for this scheme in 2016-17.

74. In order to recycle C&D (construction and demolition) waste in-house, two C&D waste handling units with the capacity of 500 Metric ton per day each at Libaspur and Tikri Border will be constructed.

75. Sir, for displaying of pollution levels / public awareness messages / traffic information etc. in the public interest, LED screens will be installed at different public places in NCT of Delhi. I propose ₹ 137 crore for this scheme in 2016-17.

Women Safety, Security & Empowerment

76. “I measure the progress of a community by the degree of progress which women have made” – Baba Sahib Ambedkar

77. Speaker Sir, we have implemented several measures to strengthen the safety and security of women. CCTV cameras have already been installed in 200 DTC buses. Free Wi Fi service was launched in December 2015 on pilot basis in some of the DTC buses. WIFI services, GPS and CCTV cameras will be provided in all DTC and cluster buses to ensure women safety. Government has made it mandatory for all public transport vehicles, including taxies to install GPS system for tracking of the vehicles. We have also deputed 4000 marshals in DTC buses to remain vigilant in the buses.

78. For security of people on roads, in residential areas and overall security of National Capital Territory, we propose a new scheme for installation of CCTV cameras and surveillance system throughout Delhi. An initial budgetary allocation of ₹ 200 crore under this scheme is proposed for 2016-17.

79. A total of 42000 dark spots have been identified on 421 stretches of roads after sharing of information among multiple agencies including Delhi Police and NGOs. Adequate arrangements of lighting on those stretches shall be completed in 2016-17. A provision of ₹ 114 crore has been made for providing adequate lighting on these identified places in 2016-17.

80. For providing women safety, Mohalla Rakshak Dal of Civil Defence Volunteers has been set up in Karawal Nagar assembly constituency as a pilot scheme. The efforts have received a warm welcome by the local residents as well by Delhi Police. Based on these positive outcomes, it is proposed to set up Mohalla Rakshak Dal in all assembly constituencies in the year 2016-17. I propose an outlay of ₹ 200 crore for operationalizing Mohalla Rakshak Dal in all the Mohallas throughout Delhi.

81. Working women hostel at Dwarka with a capacity to provide accommodation to 50 number of working women will be made functional in 2016-17. Three working women’s hostels to accommodate 200 more working women will be started at Dilshad Garden, Pitampura and Vasant Village in 2016-17.

82. I propose ₹ 1068 crore for Women Safety, Security and Empowerment in 2016-17.

Social Security & Welfare

83. My Government is committed to provide support and economic assistance to the persons who live on the fringes of our society, those who have little or no means of subsistence through their own source of income. For lending such assistance, the Government provides financial assistance of ₹ 975 crore to around 6 lakh beneficiaries in the form of old age pension, disability pension, national family benefit and financial assistance to women in distress.

84. For transparent and efficient implementation of financial assistance programmes our Government is undertaking a massive exercise for verification of the beneficiaries in order to ensure that the assistance reaches the most deserving and any duplication or ghost / fake beneficiaries are weeded out.

85. In my last budget speech, I had informed about the government’s commitment to construct new Old Age Homes at various locations. I take extreme pleasure to state that the process for implementation of the same has been rolled out for all the five locations viz. Kanti Nagar, Chittranjan Park, Rohini, PaschimVihar and Chattarpur. The completion of work for Old Age Home, Kanti Nagar is targeted by December 2017.

86. Furthermore, theland for construction of four old age homes at Geeta Colony, Janak puri, Sarita Vihar and Vasant Kunj and for another two homes for mentally challenged persons i.e. for men at Usmanpur and for women at Dallupura have been acquired and the projects are at various stages of implementation.

87. “The test of our progress is not whether we add more to the abundance of those who have much; it is whether we provide enough for those who have too little” -- -- Roosevelt

88. The Government is working to provide better education and skills to the youth, particularly SC/ST/OBC/Minorities through training & skill development. Various schemes are being implemented for SC/ST/OBC students like financial assistance for purchase of stationery, scholarship, reimbursement of tuition fees in private schools etc. An outlay of ₹ 398 crore is proposed for all these welfare schemes and improvement of infrastructure facilities in SC basties.

89. I propose a plan outlay of ₹ 1381crore for Social Security and Welfare schemes in 2016-17.

Water &Sanitation

90. Sir, every person, whether rich or poor needs life-line water for its survival. It is the firm opinion of our Government that it is the responsibility of the State to provide life line water to every citizen. Accordingly, a historical decision was taken to provide 20 Kilo Litres of water free of cost, that is “life line water” to each residential unit. Our commitment is reflected in the continuance of the decision of my Government. The idea is not only to benefit the lower strata of the society but also to encourage citizens to save water by lower consumption. Almost 10 lakh families belonging to the poor and lower middle class have benefitted from this scheme.

91. Sir, it is extremely unfortunate that even after 68 years of independence, the State has not been able to provide piped water supply to each and every household even in the national capital. People in parts of Delhi are dependent on water tankers for their water supply. In-spite of tall promises made by the successive Governments, clean drinking water has remained a dream for large sections of Society. Our Government has taken a historic decision to provide clean drinking water supply to each and every household by December 2017. 300 new unauthorized colonies will be provided piped water supply in the year 2016-17. I have allocated ₹ 676crore for this purpose. It is our endeavour to supply clean drinking water to every Delhite and eradicate the water tanker mafia from Delhi.

92. Our Government took a historic decision to lay water pipelines in unauthorized colonies and has reached 217 colonies by March 2016 by laying only 167 kilometres of new pipeline and 19 kilometres of re-laid pipeline. The efficiency is spectacularly higher than that of previous Governments in Delhi. This transformative change is the new face of the Delhi Jal Board.

93. Speaker Sir, we are committed to accord respectability to all sections by providing them legal water connections which they have been deprived off all these years .We have reduced the development charge from ₹ 440/- per sq. meters to ₹ 100/- per sq. meters in unauthorized colonies enrolling and benefitting almost 130,000 consumers. Encouraged by the huge response of the scheme, we have extended it to 18th July 2016.

94. Speaker Sir, one of the biggest issues faced by the consumers is inflated water bills. The menace of inflated bills were mainly a result of faulty meters or irregular meter readers, owning to which bills running into several thousands and lakhs were issued. This also led to a window for harassment of consumers by the hands of officials. We have decided to waive 100 % arrears to the consumers belonging to ‘E’, ‘F’, ‘G’ & ‘H’ categories, 75 % waiver in ‘D’ category, 50 % in ‘C’ and 25 % in ‘A’ & ‘B’ categories of colonies with complete remission of Late Payment Surcharge. This step is not only heartening for the consumers but also a respite for the revenue collection machinery. People living in poor colonies are happy to have completely written off the long-standing disputed financial burden while people from affluent areas are more than willing to come forward to deposit reduced arrear. Revenue collection machinery is also happy as they have been able to collect an amount of ₹ 20.27 crore from what was considered as dead receivables.

95. We have considered this arrear waiver scheme not only from the angle of financial prudence but also from the principles of sound management. This is why we have mandated that the benefit of the scheme can only be availed if a consumer has a fully functional meter running at his/her home. Today people are making a beeline to get new meters installed at their homes in order to qualify for this scheme; this is in stark contrast to the failed efforts of earlier Governments to install meters.

96. Sir, within a year of our functioning, we have increased 10% of potable water by commissioning 3 major Water Treatment Plants at Dwarka, Bawana and Okhla which were lying completely idle.

97. The unplanned growth in Delhi has rendered vast majority of areas incapable of having proper sewage disposal system. Further, it is our strong commitment that DJB will not wait till 2036 to provide sewerage system to all of Delhi according to the Sewerage Master Plan. It is our aim to cover all colonies in Delhi in the span of 8-10 years.

98. The recent destruction of the Munak Canal hit the city with its first water crisis but the way in which the Delhi Jal Board bounced back through constant grievance redressal, water management, tanker distribution, engineering excellence and project management ensured that the situation was resolved speedily with zero crisis escalation. I would like to commend the Delhi Jal Board on this effort. However, the Delhi Government realizes that our water future is currently not completely under our control. Thus, the Delhi Jal Board will roll out a comprehensive rainwater harvesting scheme, water-bodies revival policy and summer action plan to ensure that Delhi doesn’t suffer in any way for want of water.

99. I propose ₹ 1976 crore of plan outlay for Water supply & Sanitation sector, which is 9.6 percent of total plan outlay.

ENERGY

100. Our vision in power sector is to make available affordable and reliable power on uninterrupted basis for common man. The Government has made sincere efforts for reallocating costly power to keep tariff low. I am happy to inform you that due to strict monitoring and regular review of power supply situation in 2015-16, we are able to minimise the average load shedding at the level of 0.15%, which is lowest ever. We have fulfilled our promise and reduced the electricity bills by 50% for all consumers consuming upto 400 units i.e. around 90% of total domestic consumers. For the first time, this policy has been extended to the electricity consumers of NDMC Area. We are committed to providing affordable power to the electricity consumers of Delhi and I am happy to announce that we propose to extend 50% subsidy scheme to next year as well. A provision of ₹ 1600 crore is being made in the budget for this purpose.

Development of Unauthorized Colonies

101. In order to provide basic amenities in unauthorized colonies in a time bound manner, our government has decided to engage a single executing agency i.e. DSIIDC for doing all developmental works in unauthorized colonies. Till now development works were limited to 895 colonies, however now our Government has extended development works to all unauthorised colonies. Works for constructing roads and drainage is being carried on a war-footing and shall be completed in financial year 2016-17. A budget of ₹ 300 crore has been proposed for DSIIDC to execute these new development works in unauthorized colonies. It has been decided that any additional funds required over and above this budgetary allocation, for timely completion, shall be arranged by DSIIDC either from its own resources or as loan from financial institutions. Later the same shall be paid by the Govt. of NCT of Delhi. Furthermore, for completion of on-going works in unauthorized colonies by the other executing agencies, an amount of ₹ 190crore is proposed in 2016-17.

102. Regulation for regularization of unauthorized colonies have been redrafted and approved by the Delhi Government and the Government of India has been requested to notify the same so that all unauthorized colonies, where the built up area is more than 50% as on 01.01.2015, are regularized.

Development of JJ Basties

103. There are 675 JJ basties in Delhi with the requirement of 3 lakh dwelling units to rehabilitate the JJ dwellers. Our government has formulated a “Delhi Slum & JJ Rehabilitation and Relocation Policy” wherein the new cut-off date of eligibility is proposed to be extended from the earlier date of 4th June, 2009 to1st January 2015. With a view to make Delhi a ‘slum free’ city our government has launched a massive programme for in-situ redevelopment and rehabilitation of JJ dwellers ( tgka >qXxh ogka edku ). In the first phase we have planned redevelopment and in-situ redevelopment and rehabilitation of 20 JJ basties in three assembly constituencies, on pilot basis. We will replicate this model in other parts of Delhi. A budget provision of ₹ 100 crore for DUSIB as seed money is proposed in 2016-17.

104. To provide a clean and hygienic environment in JJ basties and with a view to make Delhi ‘open defecation’ free, a massive programme for construction of new toilet blocks and to upgrade / renovate existing Jan Suvidha Complexes has been taken up. So far, construction of 93 toilet blocks has been completed including 30 new toilets blocks and 63 upgraded toilet blocks adding more than 4500 toilet seats. Our Government has decided to provide clean toilets by way of Jan Suvidha Complexes in all JJ Clusters in 2016-17. I propose a plan outlay of ₹ 100 crore for the same.

105. I propose ₹ 2466 crore of plan outlay for Housing and Urban Development sector, which is 12 percent of total plan outlay.

ART & CULTURE

106. Speaker sir, the indifferent state of Delhi’s cultural environment has seldom received the comprehensive attention that it demands in the agenda of any political party. Our Government is ensuring that cultural and artistic events are not restricted to a handful of auditoriums for a select audience, but are taken to public places for general public viewing and enjoyment.

107. The Sahitya Kala Parishad conducted dozens of cultural festivals with internationally renowned artists; Delhi Archives did a phenomenal work in digitization and microfilming of archival records and the Archaeology Department conserved 18 monuments in Delhi with plans for 143 more monuments in the road that lies ahead.

108. In the coming year, the Sahitya Kala Parishad will also conduct a massive talent hunt with the education department in schools to promote theatre, music, drama and dance amongst our school children, and find the wondrous hidden talent that exists within our city.

109. I propose a plan outlay of ₹ 54 crore for promotion of Art, Culture and Language in Delhi in 2016-17.

TOURISM

110. Despite a rich vibrant history, a multitude of venues and being India’s political capital, Delhi’s culture has been largely ignored with a complete lack of focus on tourism. DTTDC had become an organization that only built bridges and sold liquor. Delhi Tourism is on a mission to change status quo and ensure that Delhi becomes a world-class tourist destination and the leader in art, culture, music, theatre, film and entertainment.

111. Several international performances and events had moved out of Delhi to Gurgaon and Noida leaving Delhi as a mere recipient of traditional government performances, which are mostly concentrated in Lutyen’s Delhi and hosted in small theatres and auditoriums with limited capability of outreach to the public. Additionally, the number of licenses and clearances required had strangulated the events industry and corruption at various levels had made it prohibitively expensive to conduct massive events in Delhi.

112. The Government has come out with a single window online clearance system for organising events in Delhi, simplifying the process such that there is no scope for red-tape or corruption. The result is that we are able to organise mega show of AR Rahman, Zubin Mehta at the Australia World Orchestra, Coalition Creative Industries Festival, North East Festival at IGNCA, Disney’s Beauty and the Beast etc. In the coming year, continuing with simple single window clearance approach, we propose to simplify the process for the restaurant and hospitality industry as well.

113. Delhi represents the multicultural and composite fabric of India in its diversity of religion, language, region and professions. We plan to create a world-class festival called the Delhi festival. It will be a festival that celebrates the spirit of Delhi and inculcates pride in its citizens. This festival will celebrate our shopping, culture, food, music, languages, theatre and films, among other things.

114. Our Government proposes to create a new campaign called “Brand Delhi”. We will re-develop the online presence of destination Delhi through websites, Apps, Maps, Social Media and Micro-sites. I propose ₹ 30 crore for Brand Delhi and Delhi Festival in 2016-17.

115. A Skywalk way from Qutub Minar Metro Station to the Qutub Minar a first of its kind is proposed to be developed in 2016-17. The said walkway will go over the Mehrauli archaeological complex.

116. I propose ₹ 10 crore for development of Tourism Infrastructure in 2016-17.

117. Delhi is India’s capital and its cultural heart and yet the entry to this dynamic national capital territory isn’t one that induces awe or a sense of grandeur. Delhi Tourism has received necessary permissions to revamp the borders and will conduct beautification at road entry points of Delhi like Ghazipur and DhaulaKuan.

118. Now, I turn to Part – B of my speech.

[ PART B ]

119. Hon’ble Speaker Sir, I have dwelt at length upon the policies of the Government in Part-A of my Speech, and once again I state with the highest emphasis at my command that this Government is of, by and for the common man of Delhi. Every penny collected from the people, in the form of taxes and duties, is spent with utmost care and with all honesty and integrity.

120. It is a myth that only the rich pay taxes. The poor, the disadvantaged as consumers of goods and services also pay tax. Thus, while we have to mobilize greater resources to meet the goals outlined earlier we are committed to a tax structure which is just, fair and equitable.

121. Through our transparent, honest, efficient and effective governance, the overall revenue for the fiscal year 2015-16 has grown at an unprecedented rate of 17% compared to the previous year. This was possible through elimination of corruption at the highest levels and significant usage of technology at the levels where the citizens interface with the Government, deploying honest officers in sensitive positions, timely completion of infrastructural projects at reduced costs and reduction of all wasteful expenditure.

Value Added Tax

122. Sir, in the tax revenue, VAT constitutes the major part of our receipts, with nearly 65%- of total collections – and most of our developmental activities depend mainly on the buoyancy and elasticity of tax revenue from VAT. My taxation proposals are founded on the following principles:

123. The first and foremost principle of our taxation policy is to maintain the distributive character of Delhi’s trade.

124. Secondly, it is simplification of the existing system and promotion of an all-round ease of doing business.

125. Thirdly, multiple entries relating to the same item or a common group of items are a great source of ambiguity and confusion, which leads to harassment of traders and create a window for reporting manipulation leading to undesirable behaviour. We have tried to simplify it by bringing them under one entry to the extent possible.

126. Fourthly, our Government is fully committed to reducing tax arbitrage and will attempt to keep a uniform rate with neighbouring states. In several items such as sweets – namkeen, watches, readymade garments, lower tax rate in neighbouring States was causing erosion in the same. We have made efforts to remove such imbalances in our VAT structure.

127. Last and most important principle which is the motive force behind our taxation policy is to encourage voluntary compliance, and forge a strong partnership with the trade and the public.

128. Having regard to the above objectives, I propose modifications in the VAT rate which can be classified into two parts :

• Reduction in VAT rates
• Rationalization of tax rates

Reduction in VAT rates

129. Our Government is committed to check rising pollution due to automobiles and to promote use of environment friendly vehicles, VAT rate on battery operated transport means i.e. e-rickshaws, battery operated vehicles and Hybrid Automobiles (i.e. Battery driven with other fuel option), is proposed to be brought down from 12.5% to 5%.

130. Sweets and namkeens are presently taxable @ 12.5%, while the tax rate in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh is 5%. With a view to avoid geographical tax arbitrage, I propose to reduce the VAT on Sweets and namkeens to 5%.

131. At present, readymade garments upto ₹ 5000/- are taxed at 5%, those above ₹ 5000/- are taxed at 12.5%. Again in neighbouring States (U.P. and Haryana) all readymade garments are taxed at 5%. I propose to rationalize the tax rate by taxing all readymade garments @5%.

132. Marble in Delhi is currently taxable at 12.5% being an unspecified item. Marble Trade Association of Delhi has been requesting for lower tax rate to encourage people to buy marble from Delhi Traders only. I understand reducing the tax rate of marble from 12.5% to 5% would be in the interest of revenue and I propose accordingly.

Rationalizing of tax rate

133. Watches in Delhi are taxed differentially at 12.5% (watches upto ₹ 5000/-) and (20% watches above ₹ 5000/-), while they are taxed uniformly at 12.5% in neighbouring states. I propose a uniform VAT rate of 12.5% on all kind of watches.

134. Textile and fabric are presently covered under several entries in the tax rate schedules – some under the exempted list, while others in the taxable category of 5%. I propose to simplify this system by levying a uniform tax rate of 5% on all variety of textiles and fabrics (including sarees) except khadi and handloom fabrics.

135. Plastic waste continue to be exempted whereas plastic raw materials i.e. plastic granules, plastic power and master batches are taxable @5%. Since, plastic waste can also be recycled and used as raw material to make plastic articles, it is proposed to tax plastic waste also @5%.

136. Presently, inverters and UPS are taxable at general un-specified rate of 12.5%. However, there is a duplicate entry i.e. UPS units in Schedule III, which is leading to confusion. Therefore, I propose to omit this entry.

137. Presently, footwear above MRP ₹ 500/- are taxable @12.5%. I propose to rationalize the VAT rate on footwear by subjecting uniform rate of 5% to all footwear irrespective of price.

138. School Bags having MRP upto ₹ 300/- and MRP above ₹ 300/- are taxed at 5% and 12.5% respectively. I propose to rationalize by levying a uniform rate of 5% on all schools bags irrespective of price.

139. In the existing entry of Ferrous and Non-ferrous metals, there is no mention of aluminium or metal sheets, and some items are taxed at higher rate of 12.5%. To remove an ambiguity, I propose to modify the entry as “Ferrous and non-ferrous metals and alloys thereof including their sheets, foils and extrusions. Non-ferrous metals includes aluminium, copper, zinc etc.”

140. Sir, the Tobacco and tobacco products are currently taxable @20%. The relevant entry reads as under :-

 “Tobacco and Gutkha, unmanufactured tobacco, bidis and tobacco used in manufacture of bidis and hooka tobacco”.

In order to make it more comprehensive, I propose to modify the entry as under :- “Un-manufactured tobacco, tobacco and tobacco products in all forms such as cigarettes (irrespective of form and length), chewing tobacco, gutkha, cigars, hookah tobacco, khaini, zarda, surti, bidis etc.”

141. In addition to reforms related to the VAT rates, this government has given a powerful impetus to the public participation in tax management by launching a new scheme of ‘Bill Banwao Inaam Pao'. Under this scheme, consumers in Delhi, while making any purchases can send the snapshot of retail bill / invoice to the department through a mobile application. This innovative scheme has promoted a unique partnership between the public and the VAT Department in the context of verification of sale / purchase transactions and compliance, which was based primarily on the visit of tax inspectors in the field only till now. Under the scheme 1% of the entries are shortlisted for award and prize money, thereby incentivizing the participation of consumers. The increasing success of the scheme can be measured from the fact that 8000 entries have been received in the month of February 2016 as against 4000 entries in the month of January 2016 when the scheme was launched.

142. The Government has also introduced a unique Reward scheme to acknowledge and further encourage market and trade associations contributing revenue over and above the targets set for the year. Such associations will get 10% of the revenue generated over and above the target set for the year. Besides this, top 10 performing market association will get cash reward of ₹ 5 lakh each. The award money is to be utilized for the overall improvement of the market and maintenance of public conveniences, beautification, repairs etc.

143. Mr. Speaker Sir, it is evident from the above details that our Government is decisively moving away from the past traditions of command, control and penetration of markets by the interventionist government to the role of an enabler and facilitator.

Excise Duty, Stamp Duty & Luxury Tax

144. Speaker sir, last year in my budget speech I had mentioned about streamlining the liquor trade and eradicating corruption. Today I am happy to inform this august house that the steps undertaken by the Government have started yielding results.

145. You may kindly recall that I had not increased excise duty on liquor last year. However steps were taken to plug loopholes to prevent leakage in excise revenue. We had shifted point of levy of Excise Duty from Transport Permit Level to Import Permit Level. Due to this and other reforms undertaken by the Government, there has been 31% increase in Excise Revenue Collections, from ₹ 3187 crore in 2014-15to approximately ₹ 4200 crore this year, an all-time high. Inspector raj has been done away with. In the time to come, these existing reforms will not only continue but more such reforms are likely to be introduced.

146. The revenue collection from Luxury Tax has seen an increase of 36.7percent. As against last year’s ₹ 322 crore of revenue from Luxury Tax, this year will exceed ₹ 440 Crore is estimated to be collected.

147. As another step towards a simplified tax regime, I to announce the increase in threshold limit of Luxury Tax from existing ₹ 750 to ₹ 1500. This will reduce tax burden on citizens and tourists and make it easy for small hotels to do business.

148. As on today assessment of all hotels is compulsory. My Government has decided to introduce self declaration in Luxury Tax. Assessment will be done on random basis.

149. The revenue collection from Entertainment Tax has seen an increase of 60 percent. As against last year’s ₹ 148 crore of revenue from Luxury Tax, this year exceed ₹ 237 Crore is estimated to be collected.

150. Sir, our Government is deeply conscious that tax rates/duties must be in line with economic realities. Given the slowdown in the real estate sector, our government (unlike previous policies) held the circle rates in urban areas stable and did not increase them. I am happy to announce that against stamp duty collection of ₹ 2779 crore up to 31st March, 2015, the stamp duty collection was ₹ 3359 crore up to 22/3/2015 which is 21% higher than last year. In order to keep up the momentum, various new initiatives are being proposed so as to enhance the quantum of stamp duty collection.

151. A separate Stamp Act for Delhi is on the anvil. The Bill aims to simplify provisions, reduce arbitrary power and at the same time increase revenue. Another new initiative has been on-line payment of stamp duty for companies issuing shares and debentures. Efforts are being made to bring more transactions into the net of registration and stamp duty. Amendments have been proposed in Section 17 of Registration Act so as to make compulsory registration of several new instruments.

152. Our Government proposes to start online search facility for registered documents shortly. All legacy data since 1985 shall be scanned, digitized and readily made available to public for search.

153. “I should love to satisfy all, if I possibly can; but in trying to satisfy all, I may be able to satisfy none. I have, therefore, arrived at the conclusion that the best course is to satisfy one’s own conscience and leave the world to form its own judgment, favorable or otherwise.” ― Mahatma Gandhi

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