New Delhi: Delhi Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia Tuesday presented Rs 69,000-crore Budget for 2021-22 in the assembly, themed on ‘desh bhakti’.
Claimed as the biggest budget ever since the Delhi assembly came into being in the 1990s, the Aam Aadmi Party-led government’s focus areas continued to be education and healthcare.
Besides, the government also made a couple of significant women-centric announcements in the Budget.
Patriotism takes lead in Budget speech
The ‘desh bhakti budget’ comes at the backdrop of the AAP’s plan to mark 75 weeks from 12 March as ‘weeks of patriotism’ to celebrate 75 years of India’s Independence on 15 August 2022.
The budget made financial provisions for organising celebrations based on the lives of Bhagat Singh and B.R. Ambedkar. It also made provisions for installing flag mast poles at 500 places across the national capital.
This apart, the government is expected to organise functions across the country on Delhi’s role in the Independence movement and its journey since then, besides its vision for the coming 26 years. Sisodia also announced that the Delhi government will formally apply to host the Olympic Games in 2048 to mark 100 years of India’s Independence.
Sisodia also said the government plans to collect Rs 43,000-crore tax to fund the proposed budget expenditure.
In his 2019-20 budget, Sisodia had proposed to raise Rs 42,500 crore as tax revenue.
However, the Economic Survey presented by him Monday in the assembly showed that the government could collect Rs 36,565 crore, as compared to Rs 36,624 crore in 2018-2019.
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100 new schools of excellence
Sisodia, who holds the education portfolio as well, also proposed setting up of a virtual Delhi model school, an increase in seats in higher education sector, and a teachers’ training institute in Delhi this year.
Referring to the new education board, which Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal announced last week, and the new curriculum from classes nursery to 8, Sisodia said the idea was to prepare patriots who take responsibility for the country, be good human beings, and become job creators.
The government also proposed 100 new schools of excellence, a Sainik School and an armed forces preparatory school in the capital.
“During the pandemic, our teachers and students had to switch to online learning. Our educators, who did not know how to use a smartphone, took help from children and younger teachers to teach online without any formal training. During Covid-19, we learnt to use technology in imparting education and we plan to adopt it in future,” Sisodia said in the assembly.
In order to make the Delhi model of education available to people residing in different parts of the country, the deputy CM also proposed setting up of a virtual Delhi model school. He also said that this may be the first-of-its kind in the world.
The government also proposed to increase around 8,000 seats in the higher education sector, this year.
The proposed teachers’ training institute to train teachers is in line with the new National Education Policy of the central government and Sisodia said a law university is also in the works.
He also called for modification in the Delhi School Education Act, 1973, and Delhi University Act, 1922.
The education sector received Rs 16,377 crore — 25 per cent of the total Budget.
Free vaccination, women-only mohalla clinics
The healthcare sector received Rs 9,934 crore — 14 per cent of the total budget.
Covid-19 vaccines will be provided free of cost for people of Delhi in government hospitals for which a budget of Rs 50 crore has been allocated.
Soon, the number of people being vaccinated per day will increase from 45,000 to 60,000, Sisodia said in the assembly.
A health card will also be made for every Delhi resident, the records for which will be maintained digitally, Sisodia added.
The budget also makes allocation for starting women-only mohalla clinics in the national capital, starting 2022. These will cater only to women and a total of 100 such clinics will be set up in the first phase.
To strengthen the role of women in the economy, the government has planned a new scheme, called ‘Saheli Samanvay Kendra’, under which 500 anganwadi hubs will be set up across various parts of Delhi.
Another initiative, Samriddhi, with special arrangement in the angadwadi hubs, will be arranged for socio-economic empowerment of women and adolescent girls, and required training will be imparted.
The AAP-led government also decided to spend Rs 5 crore for women safety in tourism and will use more CCTV cameras as well.
To tackle substance abuse in Delhi, an amount of Rs 7.20 crore in the Budget has been allocated under a new scheme called ‘Suryaoday’.
The government also plans to honour and felicitate all Delhi citizens who are above 75 years of age. The felicitation ceremonies will be organised across Delhi to honour them, said Sisodia.
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