CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu to focus on health, tourism and education in Himachal budget
The bill for water cess was also passed in the budget session which is set to bring an additional revenue of more than Rs 4,000 crore to the state exchequer.
Health, tourism, and education will be a key focus in the Himachal Pradesh budget for the coming financial year which will be presented by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu on Friday.
You have exhausted your
monthly limit of free stories.
To continue reading,
simply register or sign in
Continue reading with an Indian Express Premium membership starting Rs 133 per month.
This premium article is free for now.
Register to continue reading this story.
This content is exclusive for our subscribers.
Subscribe to get unlimited access to The Indian Express exclusive and premium stories.
This content is exclusive for our subscribers.
Subscribe now to get unlimited access to The Indian Express exclusive and premium stories.
The Congress government has maintained that “parivartan” is its top priority and the budget will reflect the same.
The budget comes against the backdrop of Rs 75,000 crore debt inherited by the current dispensation due to the alleged financial mismanagement by the previous BJP government. The CM has his work cut out for making balance allocations given the announcement of ambitious schemes such as the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) and Rs 1,500 per month financial assistance to women in the age group of 18-60 years.
As per government officials, the CM is keen to bring reforms in the education sector. The government is planning to introduce 68 Rajiv Gandhi day boarding schools across the state which will have e-classes and state-of-the-art infrastructure. The schools will be built on 25-30 bigha of land with an eye on promoting holistic child development.
Previous BJP government CM Jairam Thakur had presented a budget of Rs 51,365 crore for the financial year 2022-23.
This budget is expected to make special provisions for robotic surgery in the health sector as well. Last week, the CM had inaugurated a trauma centre wing at Indira Gandhi Medical College (IGMC) in Shimla and stated that the government will soon start robotic surgery facility in all medical colleges in the state.
The budget is set to focus on resource mobilisation and revenue generation. Recently the government had announced auction of liquor vends after a gap of five years instead of renewing licences at an increased cost of 10% every year. The bill for water cess was also passed in the budget session which is set to bring an additional revenue of more than Rs 4,000 crore to the state exchequer.
As per government sources, there will be a sizeable increase in budgetary allocations for the tourism industry which is worth more than Rs 11,000 crore and contributes to nearly 7% of the state GDP. The government is also mulling to tap the nearly 400-500 MW of solar energy within a record time. The Sukhu government has been pushing for clean energy with promises of introducing e-vehicles on a large scale by 2025.
“The government’s slogan has been ‘vyavastha parivartan’. The budget will be for the common man and every aspect of his life. The CM has a vision regarding clean energy, education, and health sectors. The previous government had left the state in enormous debt and the revenues can only be balanced through smart policies. This budget will go a long way in the development of the state,” said Naresh Chauhan, Principal Advisor Media to the Chief Minister.