Finance minister of the Capital Kailash Gahlot presented the budget for the Capital’s fiscal year 2023–24, Rs 78,800 crore. Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) released its ninth straight budget; nevertheless, it was Kailash Gahlot’s first time presenting one. As part of the planning for the G-20 summit, transportation and infrastructure are given a lot of attention in the budget. The budget for the Delhi government in 2022–2023 was Rs. 75,800 crore, compared to Rs. 69,000 crore the year before. Read More Business News on our website.
‘Clean, Beautiful, and Modern Delhi’ was a major focus of the Delhi budget.
For the 2023–24 fiscal year, education received the highest allocation of Rs. 16,575 crore. We will connect all colonies to the sewer network, enhance the capacity of sewage treatment plants to clean the Yamuna river, and provide the MCD with all necessary assistance to eliminate the three mountains of waste in Delhi, he promised.
He declared, In the year 2023–2024, local bodies will be provided with economic support of Rs. 8,241 crore. Further, the minister said that nine programmes in the budget are related to and are getting ready for the G-20 conference.
Plan of Delhi Government about the Road Construction and Building Flyovers
The government will upgrade and beautify the road network, build 26 flyovers, including three double-deckers in partnership with DMRC, include 1,600 e-buses, electrify bus depots, create ISBTs of the highest calibre, work to remove three landfill sites, and clean up Yamuna.
Ten of the 26 flyover projects are currently in the construction phase, and 11 have plans that have been submitted to UTTIPEC for approval. The unofficial clearinghouse for all transportation projects in Delhi is the Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning & Engineering) Centre.
It Is planned to get rid of the Okhla landfill by December 2023, Bhalswa landfill by March 2024, and Ghazipur landfill by December 2024. In the coming two years, the Delhi government wants to get rid of all three garbage mountains, which can be attained as a huge commitment and task. For flattening landfills, MCD will receive Rs 850 crore. Sharing the public authority’s guide for expanding transport offices in the public capital, he said that the public authority will be carrying out the Mohalla Transport Plan to resolve the issue of last-mile network.
“At the moment, 7,379 buses are operating in Delhi. By the end of 2023, the city will have 1,900 e-buses. It will decrease Co2 discharges by 1.07 lakh tons,” he said. He said that 100 feeder e-buses will be launched in 2023 and 2024, and 2,180 in the next two years, when he announced the Mohalla Bus program. In 2023 and 2024, the government plans to invest Rs 3,500 crore in improving public transportation. Increasing the capacity of sewage treatment will be another important area of focus.
By March 2024, Delhi will treat 890 million gallons of sewage per day, a significant increase from 373 MGD in 2015.
In the education sector, which once more received the most funding, 350 government schools in Delhi will each receive 20 computers, and all teachers, vice-principals, and principals will each receive new tablets. With Rs 16,278 crore, the education sector received the most money in the Delhi budget for 2022 and 2023.
What CM Arvind Kejriwal Said?
“In 2018, the Kejriwal government gave tablets to all educators. According to Gahlot, the government will once more offer brand-new tablets to all teachers, principals, vice-principals, and DDE in the years 2023 and 2024.
The AAP dispensation allocated Rs 9,742 crore to health, a slight decrease from the previous year’s allocation of Rs 9,769 crore. The four Mahila Mohalla Clinics that opened in 2022 had a lot of success. In 2023 and 2024, the Delhi government intends to open 100 more of these units. Four of the nine new hospitals are expected to open this year. He stated, “The number of hospital beds will rise from 14,000 to 30,000.”
After taking over the finance department following the resignation of deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, who was arrested by the CBI in connection with the Delhi excise policy scam case, Gahlot presented the budget for the first time at this event.
“I would have been happier if Manish Sisodia, who is like my older brother, had presented this budget. In his budget speech, Gahlot stated, “The budget is an expression of the people’s expectations and aspirations.”
Gahlot also lamented the fact that, despite its substantial contribution, Delhi has received only Rs 325 crore as its share of central taxes from the Centre. He went on to say that one of the main priorities of the Delhi government’s budget is to remove all three garbage mountains and implement a six-point action plan for a clean Yamuna.