Several benefits for common man in Delhi, Maharashtra, Punjab & Karnataka budgets

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From doubling of old age pension to free travel for women in government buses, from interest waiver for crop loans to subsidised interest rates on loans to women entrepreneurs, the budgets of Maharashtra, Punjab, Karnataka and Delhi rained several sops on the common man.

Significantly, apart from Delhi, budgets for the three states were presented on International Women’s Day. Predictably, Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa, Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, Punjab finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal announced several schemes for women welfare.

With assembly polls due in Punjab next year, Badal loosened the purse strings pushing old age pension up from Rs 750 to Rs 1,500 per month.

He also announced waiver of Rs 1,186 crore for loans of 1.13 lakh farmers and Rs 526 crore for landless farmers of the state and said that women can travel for free in government buses. College students, however, can enjoy free bus rides irrespective of gender.

The government also allocated Rs 100 crore for gifting smartphones for all class XII students.

Power subsidy of Rs 7,180 crore was also announced by the Punjab finance minister.

Maharashtra deputy chief minister Ajit Pawar, too, had a bounty for the farmers, for whom he announced interest waiver on crop loans up to Rs 3 lakh. He also said that the government would especially focus on raising the income of farmers.

“On International Women’s Day, I propose concession in stamp duty of 1 percent over the prevailing rate exclusively to women, provided the transfer of house property or registration of sale deed is in the name of woman or women only,” he said, adding that the government would take a revenue shortfall of around Rs 1,000 crore arising out of the measure in its stride.

Girl students in rural Maharashtra can also travel free in state buses, announced Pawar.

He also declared that the government will put on the roads as many as 1,500 hybrid buses for girl students to go to school.

Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa announced loan facility of up to Rs 2 crore at a subsidised interest rate of four per cent through Woman Development Board/Karnataka State Finance Corporation to women entrepreneurs in the service sector.

Yediyurappa announced a proposal to provide six-months child care leave to women employees of the Government. He also announced a grant of Rs 37,188 crore for women-oriented programmes.

Presenting the 2021-22 budget in the Legislative Assembly, he proposed upgradation of Anganwadis situated in Bengaluru and other cities into creches for the benefit of urban working women. Action would be taken to open creches in two major government offices in each district centre, the Chief Minister said, announcing a slew of initiatives benefiting women.

“Women employees of the state government will be given a total of six months child care leave along with maternity leave which is already in existence. This will be a supplementary step towards the welfare of women who are a very important part of the administrative machinery,” he said.

Presenting the budget for 2021-22 Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia said that the budget laid out a vision for Delhi’s progress till 2047, the centenary year of the country’s Independence. “Per capita income of a Delhi resident will be equal to the per capita income of a Singapore resident,” he said.

Continuing its thrust on education, the Arvind Kejriwal government is set to allocate one fourth of the budgeted expenditure, or Rs 16,377 crore, for the education sector.

Sisodia also announced that the government has drawn up a plan to start a voluntary mentorship programme called “Youth for Education”, under which students will help other students.

Extending the scope of the mohalla clinics, Sisodia said the government would launch women mohalla clinics across Delhi.

“Many women ignore gynecological issues and other specific health issues because they don’t feel comfortable talking about it. Now, they will have a place where these can be addressed by doctors,” he said. The project would have 100 clinics in the initial phase.

Women in Delhi can also look forward to using anganwadi hubs in the afternoons, when they can use these facilities as incubation centres for those who want to start small businesses.

The Delhi Deputy Chief Minister also said that they would construct pipelines in two years to provide water to all unauthorised colonies.