Farm waiver in Rajasthan to cost Rs 8,000 crore

Jaipur: In a last ditched effort to woo voters before the Assembly elections due this year, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje presented a ‘please all’ budget on Monday. 

Despite fiscal constraints, no new tax was levied and sops were announced for farmers. 

This move is a direct result of the government’s defeat in the recently held bypolls on two Lok Sabha and an Assembly constituency. 

Raje said no new tax has been introduced providing a relief of Rs 650 crore to the citizens of Rajasthan. 

Political compulsion also forced her to waive off one-time loans for small and marginal farmers up to Rs 50,000. The CM said it would cost Rs 8,000 crore to the exchequer. This is despite the fact that the government faced double whammy of falling revenue and rising expenditure.

One lakh families from backward categories economically weaker upper castes would be provided Rs 50,000 loan for self employment on 4 per cent interest without any collateral.

Reaching out to the women government employees Raje announced a two-year child care leave. This can be used in any time during the service period. Honorarium for 1.84 lakh aanganwari workers was hiked, and in addition the state will now bear 100 per cent of their insurance premium.