Chhattisgarh govt presents Rs 1.65 lakh cr budget for FY26, hikes funds for welfare schemes

Raipur, Mar 3 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh government on Monday presented a Rs 1,65,000 crore budget for the fiscal 2025-26, proposing substantial funding for welfare schemes related to women, food security, while allocating Rs 10,000 crore for boosting farm prosperity.

Finance Minister OP Choudhary, presenting the budget in the assembly, declared it is based on the theme of 'GATI', focusing on Good Governance, Accelerating Infrastructure, Technology and Industrial Growth.

Cess on stamp duty on immovable property transactions will be removed, while a survey will be undertaken for inter-linking key rivers in the state, he said.

Choudhary said while the previous year's budget laid a strong foundation for inclusive development, the current one has presented the next step in that growth journey.

While the previous budget focused on the theme of GYAN (Gareeb, Yuva, Annadata and Nari), this year's budget aims to drive progress under the theme of GYAN ke liye "GATI" (Good Governance, Accelerating Infrastructure, Technology, Industrial Growth) to build on growth momentum and continue the journey towards achieving goals for 2030 as part of 'Amrit Kaal Vision 2047', he noted.

Highlighting the new initiatives, the minister said Mukhyamantri Mobile Tower Scheme will be launched to provide cellphone connectivity in remote areas and fund will be allocated under Mukhyamantri Parivahan Yojana to provide transport services from gram panchayat to block and district level in areas where public transport is not available due to low population density.

He said, "500 new cooperative societies will be formed, while a National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will be established in the state. Also, sickle cell screening centres will be established in all development blocks in the first phase, and a survey will be conducted for interlinking of Mahanadi-Indravati and Sikasar-Kodar rivers." A medi city, education city and a National Institute of Urban Management will be established in Nava Raipur, Choudhary maintained.

Provision has been made to promote UPI (digital payments) in all gram panchayats, he added.

A major highlight of the Budget is the allocation of Rs 10,000 crore for the Krishak Unnati Yojana, aimed at boosting agricultural prosperity, alongside the allocation of Rs 8,500 crore for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) to upgrade rural housing, he said.

Welfare schemes such as Mahatari Vandan Yojana and Mukhyamantri Khadyann Sahayata Yojana have also received substantial funding of Rs 5,500 crore and Rs 4,500 crore, respectively, reinforcing the government's dedication to empowering women and ensuring food security, Choudhary noted.

Additionally, Rs 3,500 crore has been set aside to provide free electricity for agricultural pumps of up to 5 HP, easing financial burden on farmers.

Besides, Rs 2,000 crore has been allocated for construction of new roads under the Public Works Department (PWD). Rural connectivity will be enhanced with Rs 845 crore sanctioned for village roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), and Rs 500 crore earmarked to connect Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) habitations through the PM-JANMAN Sadak Nirman Yojana, he said.

Recognizing the challenges faced by small traders and the need to reduce the compliance burden, the government has decided to increase the limit for e-way bills from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 Lakh, Choudhary said.

The government will support small traders by waiving pending old (more than 10 years) VAT liabilities up to Rs 25,000 which will help more than 40,000 traders and reduce more than 62,000 litigation cases, he said.

The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at current price is projected to increase from Rs 5,67,880 crore in 2024-25 to Rs 6,35,918 crore in 2025-26 with a 12 per cent growth, the minister said.

The per capita income in financial year 2024-25 is expected to reach Rs 1,62,870 with growth of 9.37 per cent, he said.

The government's efforts to increase the revenue is estimated to result in 11 per cent increase of state's own revenue for the fiscal 2025-26 without imposing new tax or increase in existing tax rates, he said.

Capital expenditure of state for FY 2025-26 is estimated to be Rs 26,341 crore, which is 16 per cent of total budget.

In FY 2025-26, the gross fiscal deficit is estimated to be Rs 22,900 crore (including Rs 4,000 crore of special assistance for capital expenditure by Government of India). Hence, the net fiscal deficit of the state is estimated to be Rs 18,900 crore, which is 2.97 per cent of GSDP. This is within the limit of 3 per cent set in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, he said.

Total revenue surplus estimated in the year 2025-26 is Rs 2,804 crore. PTI TKP RSY

Source: PTI