Rajasthan budget: Cong calls it welfare-oriented, BJP says disappointing

The ruling Congress in Rajasthan welcomed the state budget presented on Wednesday by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot as a welfare-oriented one while the opposition termed it disappointing.

Congress leaders said every section has been appropriately focused in the budget. The BJP leaders, though, said it did not live up to the expectations of people.

Health Minister Raghu Sharma praised the budget, saying that it is an unprecedented one for overall development. He said the budget dedicated to health will fulfill the dream of a healthy Rajasthan.

Sharma said several innovations in medicine and health have been announced in the budget. We will present a unique example in the country by bringing a bill to provide the Right to Health to All.

He described the Universal Health Care scheme as unprecedented from the point of view of health rejuvenation at a cost of Rs 3,500 crore from the upcoming financial year. Under this scheme, each family in the state will get the benefit of a medical insurance scheme of Rs 5 lakh.

PCC chief and Education Minister Govind Singh Dotasra said a commendable budget has been presented by CM Gehlot, which is all-inclusive and development oriented.

To ensure the state moves ahead on the path of progress, announcements have been made in the budget keeping the public interest paramount, he said in a statement.

Energy Minister B D Kalla and Transport Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas also welcomed the budget.

The budget is an example of excellent financial management which will push development in the state, Kalla said.

BJP state president Satish Poonia said the budget is nothing more than a cut and paste job as new schemes have been announced just like past budgets, which hardly gets realised on the ground.

"There is a huge contrast in announcements and their realisation. The budget is just like a cut, copy and paste job. It is a cosmetic budget, which has a good face but intentions are not good," Poonia said.

He said the budget did not mention regularisation of contractual workers and protesting unemployed youth. Overall, the budget has failed to live up to the expectations of people, he added.

Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria said old announcements made in previous budgets for his own constituency have not even started and new have been announced.

"It has become their hobby to make announcements. They are only misleading people as they do not have a proper budget. This budget is nothing more than a bundle of lies," Kataria said in a press conference.

Former chief minister Vasundhara Raje said there are promises in the budget but no will is visible. She claimed that several schemes in the budget were those introduced by her government when she was in power. The senior BJP leader, in a statement, said people had expected relief from VAT on diesel and petrol but the state government disappointed them.

On the other hand, Congress leaders in the state have termed it a holistic budget, which has taken care of all sections of the society.