J’khand budget 2023-24: With ₹1.16 lakh cr, FM ready for ‘year of implementation’
In 2023-24, the government plans to spent the maximum ( ₹43,303.44 crore) in the social sector, followed by ₹39.736.11 crore in finance sector.
The Hemant Soren government in Jharkhand Friday tabled state’s budget for the 2023-24 financial year in the state assembly, which has a total outlay of ₹1.16 lakh crore, 15 per cent more as compared to the current fiscal’s budget, with a sizeable increase in the planned and capital expenditure of the government.
Describing the upcoming fiscal as the “year of implementation”, finance minister Rameshwar Oraon said government is successively increasing the planned expenditure, which means more money is being spent on development projects and schemes, even as the opposition BJP and AJSU Party staged a walkout during his budget speech, saying it has “no substance”.
“There has been a steady reduction in establishment expenditure in the last three years and an increase in plan outlay. If the ratio of establishment and plan expenditure is seen in the total outlay, it was 47:53 in 2019-20 and is estimated to be 39:61 in 2023-24. This indicates that the present government is giving more priority to the development works,” Oraon said.
In 2023-24, the government plans to spent the maximum ( ₹43,303.44 crore) in the social sector, followed by ₹39.736.11 crore in finance sector.
Addressing reporters after the budget was tabled, finance secretary Ajoy Singh said the government intends to spend 23.9 per cent more on government schemes in the coming fiscal. “In 2022-23, the total expenditure on schemes would be ₹57,259 crore. For the next fiscal, the amount has been increased by 23.9 per cent to ₹70,973 crore,” he said.
On the receipts front, the state government, however, is still dependent heavily on grants-in-aid at 14.12 per cent and borrowings at 15.46 per cent, he said.
The finance minister, however, did not announce any major new schemes or development projects.
In the education sector, the government said it intends to make all panchayats “zero drop-out” in 2023-24, besides opening five new polytechnic colleges. In the health sector, it announced to open new medical colleges in Ranchi and Bokaro; psychiatric centres in Palamu, Chaibasa and Dumka, new nursing and pharmacy colleges.
Speaking to reporters, chief minister Hemant Soren described the budget as historic. “Earlier, budget was made on paper. We have made it a participatory budget (by incorporating ideas of people). The budget size has been increased by 15 per cent. We need more resources but we are doing what’s in our capacity. The budget is a major step in deciding future of the state,” he said.
The opposition leaders, who staged a walk out soon after finance minister started reading out his speech, later said the government was unnecessarily patting its back for increasing the budget size.
“What’s the point of increasing the budget size when you can’t spend them and surrender the funds. Till now, the state finances show they have spent only 68 per cent of the budget estimates for 2022-23. If we go into certain sectoral spendings, it’s even low in some key sectors. The budget clearly shows this government has no vision,” said BJP chief whip Biranchi Narayan.
Finance minister Oraon, however, said the government was making efforts to improve actual expenditure.