Guj Assembly budget session from February 22

The budget session of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly will start on February 22 and the budget for 2016-17 will be presented on the next day.
"The session will start from February 22 and end on March 31. Finance Minister Saurabh Patel will present the budget on February 23," said BJP's chief whip in the House, Pankaj Desai.
The session will start on February 22 with the customary address by Governor O P Kohli, an official notification said.
(Reopens BOM 23)
Rs 200 crore have been allocated for the tablet distribution program.
The government, which would be facing elections in later part of 2017, also announced free education to more than 7.44 lakh girls of class 9 to 12 in the grant-in-aid schools.

It also proposed to simplify the Motor Vehicle Tax structure by allowing new vehicle owners to pay a lump sum one time tax instead of paying every six months or three months.

In a relief to farmers, state government proposed to reduce the rate of lump sum Motor Vehicle Tax from the current 3.5 per cent to 3 per cent on the purchase of tractors. "Farmers purchasing tractors will have to pay around Rs 3,000 less," said Patel.
The minister also announced two new Sainik Schools, 30 new government secondary and higher secondary schools, 6,500 new rooms in primary schools and four mobile science laboratories, among other provisions for education sector.

As regards the Health and Family Welfare, the budget proposed to open nine new blood banks at district hospitals and 41 new blood storage units at sub-district hospitals.
Patel said Rs 15 crore had been allocated for purchasing 43 ambulances for government hospitals and to add 70 new ambulances to '108' service.
On the line of the Centre, Patel said the Agriculture and Cooperation Department of the state will be renamed as Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare Department.
Budget also allocated Rs 500 crore for crop loans at 1 per cent interest to about 14 lakh eligible farmers, and promised to open an Organic Agriculture University soon.

To expand the scope of micro-irrigation scheme, a provision of Rs 313 crore is made to increase the state subsidy from 50 per cent to 70 per cent. For SC/ST farmers, the subsidy is increased from 75 per cent to 85 per cent.
To give a boost to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector, Patel announced setting up of a separate Commissionerate of MSME.
In the Labour and Employment sector, government promised to provide good quality subsidised food to around 50,000 construction workers at designated places every morning in 10 major cities of Gujarat.