New Delhi: Madhya Pradesh Finance Minister Jagdish Devda on Wednesday presented a Rs 3.14 lakh crore budget for 2023-24 in the Vidhan Sabha today, even as the Opposition Congress staged a walkout from the Assembly over the issue of LPG cylinder price hike.


Congress members including former ministers Tarun Bhanot, Vijay Laxmi Sadho, and Jitu Patwari created a ruckus in the House over the LPG price hike issue the moment state Finance Minister Jagdish Devda started reading out the budget proposals.


Later, the Congress members led by former chief minister Kamal Nath staged a walkout from the House.


"The central government has increased the price of an LPG cylinder by Rs 50, Rs 300 on commercial cylinder, causing lot of hardships to the people," Bhanot told reporters.


He demanded that like the Rajasthan government, the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Madhya Pradesh also provide LPG cylinders at Rs 500 each (to people below poverty line).  Earlier in the morning, Congress members staged a protest in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the Assembly premises on the issue of hike in the price of LPG cylinders. 


On Tuesday, CM Chouhan said the state was performing in a better manner because of fiscal discipline and inclusive development, PTI reported.


The state’s financial management is better and per capita income has also increased, he further stated after the release of the economic survey report.


"There is progress in every field in Madhya Pradesh from economic and financial point of view. Revenue collection has also increased. Capital expenditure has also increased. The industrial growth rate of the state has also increased," Chouhan said.


According to advance estimates, the state's economic growth rate was 16.43 per cent in 2022-23, he said.


Earlier in 2021-22, this growth rate was 18.02 per cent, irrespective of the COVID-19 conditions. In 2001-02, it was only 4.43 per cent, he added.


Chouhan said the GSDP is estimated to be Rs 13,22,821 crore. It was Rs 71,594 crore in 2001-02. Thus, the GSDP has increased by more than 18 times, he said.


In 2022-23, the per capita income in Madhya Pradesh was estimated to be Rs 1,40,583, while in the year 2011-12, it was Rs 38,497, the CM said.