Himachal Budget 2023: Subsidy Of Rs 25,000 On e-Scooty For 20,000 Girls, MNREGA Wages Hiked 

The CM said, 2,31,000 women will get Rs1,500 per month as promised in the first phase adding that the payout will cost Rs416 crore per year to the exchequer

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presented the first budget of his government

Source : ANI

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, who presented the first annual budget for the financial year 2023-24 in the state assembly, said the state will become a model for others in adopting electrical vehicles in public transport.

 The newly sworn-in chief minister presented the first budget of his government. Senior Congress leader Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu took the oath as the CM on December 11 after the Congress won 40 seats in the 68-member Assembly. The BJP managed 25 seats. 

Check 2023 Budget Highlights

The government announced a subsidy of Rs 25,000 on the purchase of electric scooty for 20,000 girls studying in state govt schools.

The CM announced a total of 1,500 diesel buses will be replaced at a cost of Rs 1,000 crore, he said.

The budget has raised honorarium for Panchayat representatives, urban local bodies. It also raised MNREGA daily wages from Rs 212 to 240. 

Cow cess of Rs 10/bottle to be imposed on the sale of liquor bottles as the government aims to fetch Rs 100 crore revenue per annum.

In order to boost tourism, Sikhu said that Kangra district will be developed as the tourist capital and all 12 districts will be connected with heliport facilities in the next one year.

The growth of state's GDP has remained sluggish during 2022-23 and dropped to 6.4 per cent as compared to 7.6 per cent growth recorded in 2021-22.

"We have come to work for the welfare of the people and have restored old pension scheme benefiting about 1.36 employees of the state," he said.

The supplementary demands for grants for 2022-23 amounting to Rs13,141 crore were passed by the house on March 15.

The government will fulfill all the promises made to the people during elections in a phased manner. In the first phase, 2,31,000 women will get Rs1,500 per month as promised, he said, adding that the payout will cost Rs416 crore per year to the exchequer.

The chief minister also announced measures to improve healthcare facility in the state.

Casualty wards in all medical colleges will be upgraded to emergency medicine department and all the five medical colleges will have robotic technology, he said.

The minister noted that the state faces huge debt of Rs75,000 crore and other liabilities on account of payment of arrears of revised pay scales and DA amounting Rs 11,000 crore.

(With inputs from PTI)