Nishank proposes no new taxes in budget

Despite the rising non-plan expenditure, owing to implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank today presented a tax-free budget for 2010-11 and announced a series of tax sops.

Presenting a revenue-surplus budget in the state Assembly, Nishank said total receipts were estimated to be Rs 14,821.67 crore and the total expenditure would be at Rs 15,451.95 crore, with a deficit of Rs 630.28 crore.

The budget showed a revenue surplus of Rs 162.10 crore, despite the revenue deficit of Rs 213.44 crore in the last budget presented by Nishank in July.

Nishank has also tried to bring down the fiscal deficit to Rs 1,447.15 crore, which is 3.41 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) as against the fiscal deficit of Rs 2,070.99 crore, which was 4.56 per cent of the GSDP in the previous budget.

Taking the opening balance into account, the estimate closing balance is Rs 4.72 crore.

Focusing on the issues related to women empowerment, the gender budget has been increased to Rs 1,417 crore from Rs 333 crore when it was introduced in 2007-08.

The CM has also shown his desire to boost connectivity in the state by making a provision of Rs 20 crore as state share for the construction of the Muzaffar Nagar-Roorkee rail line, which would shorten the rail distance between Delhi and Haridwar considerably.

Nishank has also made a commitment that work on the Jamrani multi-purpose project pending for the last 30-35 years would be restarted, which recently got environmental clearance from the Centre.

Connecting roads will be constructed for villages having a population of less than 250 under the Chief Minister Gramin Sanyojakta Yojna and Chief Minister Gramin Sadak Yojna.

Homeless and economically poor families, with annual income less than Rs 32,000 , will be benefited under Atal Awas Yojna announced last year.