Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel on Wednesday carried a briefcase made of cow dung to present the state budget, news agency ANI reported. CM Baghel was photographed carrying the briefcase to the state legislative assembly where he presented the budget for the FY 2022-23.
The briefcase was made over a period of 10 days in a Raipur-based gauthan or cattle shed premises. Various ingredients such as cow dung powder, gum and flour were used to make this unique bag. It had “Gomaye Vasate Lakshmi” inscribed on it in Sanskrit, which translates to “Goddess of wealth Laxmi resides in cow dung”.
CM Baghel, also the state finance minister, proposed restoring the old pension scheme for the government employees. The budget also allocated Rs 2 crore for Chhattisgarh Rojgar Mission to “work on the possibilities of creating new jobs by coordinating the skill development programs.”
The Congress government announced that local students will be exempted from paying fees for state exams such as PCC and VYAPAM.
In this Budget, I propose the restoration of the old pension scheme for govt employees. Rs 2 cr proposed for Chhattisgarh Rojgaar Mission to work on the possibilities of creating new jobs by coordinating the skill development programs: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel pic.twitter.com/hEi7FiSVg4– ANI (@ANI) March 9, 2022
In the budget, around 16 per cent of the expenditure has been allocated for school education out of which most of the amount will go towards construction of new school infrastructure. With an aim to provide quality education to students from economically and socially weaker sections, Atmanand schools have also been proposed.
A new cadre called district strike force will also be created to provide benefits of allowances and promotions to assistant constables in the Bastar division.
In terms of health and infrastructure, Baghel said, “Allocation of Rs 150 crore has been made in the budget regarding the construction of roads to connect schools, health centers and Anganwadi centers to metalled roads.”
For the agriculture sector, the annual assistance to farmers under the Rajiv Gandhi Bhumihin Krishi Majdur Nyay Yojana has been increased from Rs 6,000 to Rs 7000 from next year. Over 30,000 hectares of non-forest land has been identified as revenue land in Bastar, as per the budget announcement.
After the budget speech, Baghel told reporters that Chhattisgarh has been able to pull 1.72 lakh children out of malnutrition, and the state’s malnutrition rate is now less than the national average. “Under various nutrition schemes, the malnutrition rate has decreased by 8.7 per cent. It stands at 31.3 per cent in the state which is 0.85 per cent less than the national average,” he said.
Soon after presenting the budget, Baghel shared the highlights of the finance document on Twitter, and called it the budget of “Nyay” or justice.
I am sharing important announcements of Chhattisgarh Budget 2022-23 with all of you. 1/5 #CGBudgetForNYAY pic.twitter.com/e0T8JvPYJp— Bhupesh Baghel (@bhupeshbaghel) March 9, 2022
This was the fourth budget of the Bhupesh Baghel-led Congress government in Chhattisgarh. Baghel will seek re-election next year when the state goes to polls.
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