Chandigarh, March 18
Keeping in line with the Union Budget, Haryana finance minister Birender Singh today presented an election-year budget, giving many concessions to various sections like women, employees, teachers, scientists and the Scheduled Castes. Of course, he did not propose any fresh tax.
He has good news for those who want to purchase property in the state. Henceforth, they would have to pay 1 per cent less stamp duty on the registration of property documents. Earlier, the stamp duty was 8 per cent in the urban areas and 6 per cent in the rural areas. For women, the duty was 2 per cent less. The reduction will be across the board.
However, cable TV subscribers will have to shell more because the civil bodies will now be authorised to levy user charges on cable operators using electric poles. The local bodies will also be able to impose surcharge on cable operators for displaying commercial advertisements on their network. These
bodies
can also auction advertisement rights. While talking of the burgeoning subsidy of Rs 2,655 crore on the power supplied to the farm sector, Birender Singh indicated that the government was working out a plan to give the subsidy directly to the farmers. In the current financial year, the subsidy would be to the tune of Rs 2,366 crore.
There is a strong school of thought in the government that the farm sector subsidy is used by the power utilities to cover up their inefficiency in checking power theft. This school feels that the subsidy would be more beneficial to the farmers if it was given directly to them.
Asserting that for the first time, the concept of “gender budgeting” had been introduced in the state, the finance minister said under various schemes, girls would be entitled to higher allowances than those admissible to boys. Unemployed women registered with the employment exchanges would get 50 per cent higher unemployment allowance than boys. Similarly, all registered unemployed science graduates and postgraduates would also get 50 per cent higher allowance than others.
The “Mukhyamantri SC Shiksha Protsahan Scheme” would be extended to all girl students belonging to the below poverty line families.
Birender Singh also proposed to abolish VAT on sanitary napkins, diapers and toys, excluding battery-operated, electric and electronic toys. He said a proposal was under consideration to promote self-help groups of women producing sanitary napkins. He announced a reduction of VAT on chokes of energy-efficient tube lights from 12.5 per cent to 4 per cent.
For government employees, he announced increase in car loan limit to Rs 6 lakh, for housing building loan to Rs 12.50 lakh and for the repair and extension of house from the existing Rs 1 lakh and Rs 1.80 lakh to Rs 2 lakh and Rs 2.50 lakh, respectively. Class C employees whose basic plus dearness pay is Rs 7,000 per month, would now get interest-free wheat loan.
The minister said he had made a provision of Rs 1,550 crore in the budget for an increase in salary and pension on account of the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Commission.
To encourage teachers and scientists to participate in international seminars, the government would create a fund in the education department to meet 50 per cent their expenditure on travel.
He said a massive jump of 21 per cent in revenue collection was expected, which would bring down fiscal deficit to 1.2 per cent in 2008-09. He expected revenue receipts to the tune of Rs 21,695 crore in 2008-09 compared to Rs 17,917 crore in 2007-08.
The growth in revenue receipts would be led by buoyancy in tax collections in 2008-09, which has been pegged at Rs 14,292 crore against tax revenue of Rs 12,251 crore in 2007-08. Tax collections, which would grow by 16.68 per cent in 2008-09, would comprise sales tax of Rs 9785 crore, excise duty of Rs 1,485 crore, stamps and registration of Rs 2,100 crore, passenger and goods tax of Rs 485 crore and other tax revenue of Rs 438 crore.
Even as the revenue expenditure of the state is expected to jump by Rs 3,512 crore to Rs 20,280 crore in 2008-09, the state would end up with the revenue surplus of Rs 1,414 crore.
Indicating the state economy in the pink of health, the budget has estimated the state economy to grow by 10.1 per cent in 2007-08 at Rs 1,01,319 crore. The state’s agriculture sector is also expected to grow to 4.5 per cent, which would be more than agriculture growth of 2.6 per cent at the national level in 2007-08. The industry and services sector in the state are likely to register a growth of 10 per cent and 12 per cent, respectively against national figure of 9.4 per cent and 10.7 per cent, respectively.
Out of the state plan allocation of Rs 6,650 crore; Rs 867 crore had been earmarked for power sector, Rs 790 crore for irrigation sector, Rs 766 crore for roads and transport sector and Rs 653 crore for water supply and sanitation. An allocation of Rs 970 crore had been made for education, including industrial training and technical education, Rs 640 crore for social justice and empowerment, Rs 172 crore for women and child development, Rs 164 crore for health services and Rs 130 crore for the welfare of Scheduled Castes and backward classes.
