Haryana budget to ensure benefits of schemes reach everyone

Haryana Finance Minister Captain Abhimanyu today said the state's budget for 2018-19 is being prepared in the spirit of 'Antyodaya' and 'Sabka Sath Sabka Vikas' to ensure that the benefit of all schemes and programmes reaches to everyone.

Speaking at the pre-budget consultation organised by the Finance and Planning Department here today, he said departments have started the process of redesigning their strategies for assigning budget estimates, keeping in view the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.

An MoU will be signed soon with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to provide consultancy services for implementation of SDGs in the state, as per an official release.
 

The finance minister said the size of the budget had increased considerably in the last three years, from Rs 69,000 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 1,02,000 crore in 2017-18 despite huge expenditure on account of social security pensions and giving the state government employees benefit of the 7th Pay Commission with arrears.

In January this year, there are 24.86 lakh beneficiaries getting social security pension in the state. The rate of social security pension is Rs 1,800 with effect from November 1, 2017. The state government intends to continue with welfare policies and put the state on new economic trajectory.

Describing introduction of GST as the biggest change in the tax regime anywhere in the world impacting such a large population, Abhimanyu said 35 states and union territories had come together and supported the Government of India in the GST Council on imposing taxes under GST. Resultantly, about 100 taxes have been replaced in all states.

Earlier, speaking on the occasion, Additional Chief Secretary, Finance, P Raghavendra Rao, said Haryana ranked among three leading states in the country in terms of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP).

This year, the GSDP of Haryana is projected to grow by 7.9 per cent against estimated 6.5 per cent at the national level.

The per capita income of the state is almost touching Rs 2 lakh in the current year compared to about Rs 1.11 lakh at the national Level. Haryana is among the few states of the country which have prepared vision document 2030.