New Delhi: As Rajasthan government presented the budget for the year 2022-23 at the state assembly in Jaipur on Wednesday, the Ashok Gehlot-led government gifted an iPhone 13 to all 200 MLAs, as reported by the news agency NDTV.
The tradition has been going on in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly for the last few years that such gadgets are distributed at the time of budget to make the MLAs tech-savvy.
Last year after presenting the budget, iPads were given to all the MLAs. The state government has been promoting a paperless budget for the past several years and because of this, instead of the printed copy of the budget, all the MLAs are fed the entire budget speech in such gadgets.
However, Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia on his official Twitter handle announced that BJP MLAs will return the iPhone given by the Congress government.
"In view of the financial burden on the state govt all BJP MLAs will return the iPhone given by the Congress government," Tweeted Satish Poonia.
The tradition of gadgets has now come into play, before this, all the MLAs were given budget speeches and other documents in a leather briefcase. But with the passage of time, this tradition is now turning into gadgets in the name of promoting technological know-how. Although this time CM Ashok Gehlot has tried to please all the sections including government employees, farmers, women in his budget, the MLAs from both the ruling and opposition side received the iPhone.
Meanwhile, while presenting budget in the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly, Gehlot gave a speech of about three hours. He announced the Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme, under which 100 days of employment has been promised in a year. This scheme has been brought on the lines of MNREGA (Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act) running for rural areas. The Gehlot government has allocated a budget of Rs 800 crore for the new scheme.
Another big announcement has been made in this budget that now all the employees appointed on or after January 1, 2004, will be given the benefit of the old pension scheme.
According to news agency PTI, CM Gehlot said, "We all know that state employees can give their valuable contribution for good governance when they feel secure for their future. The employees have apprised me of their agony from time to time. Therefore, I announce the implementation of the old pension scheme for all employees appointed on and after 1 January 2004 from next year".