Maharashtra Budget 2022: Govt to Introduce more Subsidies for Farmers! Other Key Highlights Inside

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, who also holds the financial responsibility, presented a revenue deficit budget in Maha Vikas Aghadi's third budget, while also promising an amnesty scheme for GST payers. The initiative will run from April 1 to September 3, according to Pawar.

On Friday, Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Ajit Pawar presented the state budget for the year 2022-23 in the Legislative Assembly. Pawar presented a revenue deficit budget in the Maha Vikas Aghadi, while also promising an amnesty scheme for GST payers.

The initiative would run from April 1 to September 30, and it is expected that almost 2.2 lakh medium-level retailers will benefit from it, he said.

Pawar stated in his budget speech that the annual plan has been allocated Rs 1, 50,000 crores. Revenue receipts are expected to be Rs 4, 03,427 crores, with revenue expenditure at Rs 4, 27,780 crores, according to the budget estimates. As a result, he predicted a revenue shortfall of Rs 24,353 crore.

Pawar, who presented the budget, stated that Maharashtra is on its way to being the first state in the country to have an Rs1 trillion GDP.

In the state budget, Pawar also promised various steps aimed at helping famers.

Pawar proposed to allocate Rs 100 crore for the start-ups in the state in the Maha Vikas Aghadi's third budget. He further stated that the state administration has resolved to offer all transgender people in the state identification and ration cards. He also advocated allocating Rs 100 crores to create a music school in the late Lata Mangeshkar's honor.

The state government would also present the Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj bravery award starting this year, according to Pawar.

Key Highlights of the Maharashtra Budget 2022-23 are:

• Introduce more subsidies for the welfare of farmers

• An incentive of Rs. 50,000 is to be distributed to 20 lakh farmers who paid loans on time

• VAT on CNG will be reduced from 13.5% to 3%

• Allocation of Rs 1,178 crore for housing in 2022-23 and Rs 7618 crore for rural development

• An outlay of Rs. 3,183 crore for the public health and family welfare department

• Allocation of Rs 500 crore for a proposed innovation center in each of the Revenue circles of the state.

• Rs. 11,000 crores to be allocated on health services in the next three years

• Allocation of Rs. 11,119 crore for the tribal development department

• Rs 1000 to be spent on a special action plan for soybean and cotton crops in the next three years.

• Allocation of Rs 20 crore to upgrade the cataract surgeries in the state

• Women’s hospital with a capacity of 100 beds to be set up in Satara, Sangli, Solapur, and Kolhapur

• Rs 2,061 crore to be allocated to the medical education department

• Distribution of ID cards and ration cards to all transgender people in the state

• Rs 100 crore to be allocated for a music school at Kalina campus of Mumbai University dedicated to Lata Mangeshkar

Pawar added that the Maharashtra government is planning to put up an African Safari Project in Nagpur with a budget of Rs 100 crore, in addition to tiger and leopard safaris.