The State Vote on Account, that is, the interim budget for the financial year 2024-25 will be presented in the Rajasthan Assembly on Thursday by the Bhajan Lal government.
It will be an interim budget, but it will have the shadow of a full-time budget. In view of the Lok Sabha elections, many big announcements will be made by the Bhajan Lal government.
The Vote on Account will be presented by Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Diya Kumari at 11 am, which will be presented for three months. After this, the full budget will be presented in July.
Finance Minister finalises interim budget
Earlier on Wednesday, the Vote on Account was finalised in the Deputy Chief Minister’s office. On this occasion, Additional Chief Secretary Finance Akhil Arora, Government Secretary Finance (Revenue) Krishna Kant Pathak, Government Secretary Finance (Budget) Naresh Kumar Thakral and Director (Budget) Brijesh Sharma were present.
This is going to be the first time in the state that a woman will present the budget independently as the Finance Minister. Earlier, only the Chief Minister used to present the budget. From 2003 to 2023, Vasundhara Raje presented the budget twice as Chief Minister and Ashok Gehlot presented the budget twice as Finance Minister.
Diya Kumari, who is holding the charge of Finance Minister independently for the first time, will present the Vote on Account. It is believed that the budget will be presented keeping the Lok Sabha elections in mind. The vote on account may reflect an outline of the full-time budget.
A box of many announcements can open for women. announcements of jobs for the youth might be announced. Along with this, in view of the elections, there can also be an announcement in the budget regarding VAT to be imposed on petrol and diesel.
Chiranjeevi Yojana can be renamed
It is believed that in this Vote on Account, Chiranjeevi Bima Yojana can be named Mukhyamantri Ayushman Yojana. Apart from this, there can be many big changes regarding insurance coverage.
Along with this, in all the districts including Alwar where there are big industries, MLAs have been continuously raising issues regarding not providing employment to local youth in industries. Now there is a possibility of a provision to withdraw some exemptions for not providing employment to the local youth.
Cow rearing subsidy may be announced
Announcements in the farmers and animal husbandry sector in the interim budget are considered certain. It is possible to announce subsidies or incentives for rearing cows at every home.
For this, the Kamdhenu scheme was started. The scope of the Kamdhenu scheme can be increased. A plan is already underway to raise an indigenous breed of cows, its scope can be expanded. Special provisions can be made to promote cow-based products.
Provisions for women can be presented
There may be an announcement to start a scheme to provide loans to women at affordable rates for start-ups. The Central Government has started a scheme for this, a new scheme can be started in Rajasthan on the same model.
Along with this, the scope of the UDAN scheme can also be increased. Also, changes are possible regarding the ongoing scholarship scheme for girls. New provisions regarding girls’ education will also be seen in this interim budget.
These announcements may include:
Subsidy on solar energy can be increased.
Limit for giving interest-free loans to farmers can be increased.
Major decisions are possible on new stadiums for sports, financial assistance to players, competitions to be held under Khelo India.
Announcement of purchase of new buses for roadways.
Subsidy on purchase of electric vehicles can be increased.
Decision on tax exemption on vehicle registration possible.
Additional exemptions in registry fees may also be announced for women and senior citizens on purchasing new property.