Rajasthan State Budget: Farm Loan Waiver Among Populist Measures Announced By Raje Government

In its last state budget before elections, the Vasundhara Raje government in Rajasthan has chosen to go populist. State Chief Minister Raje, who also holds the finance portfolio made the budget speech in the state assembly today.

The Raje government has announced a farm loan waiver of upto Rs 50,000 for small and medium farmers in the overdue and outstanding category of short term loan provided by cooperative banks in the state, which the government estimates will cost Rs 8,000 crore to the state exchequer. A farmer relief commission will be setup in this regard which can be approached by the farmers to present their case and get relief.

A hike in the honorarium for the 1,84,000 Anganwadi workers in the state was also announced along with free scooties to 2000 girls who score above 85 per cent in Class 12.

A total of 77,000 vacancies in the state education department are also to be filled, with appointments of 9000 ‘second-grade’ and 54,000 ‘third-grade’ teachers. She also announced that attendance in government schools has increased by 12 lakh.

Free bus travel in state roadways buses has also been announced for people above 80 years of age along with a 50 per cent discount in the ticket for one attendee. She also announced that 15 km of new roads will also be built in all the 200 constituencies in the state.

Raje also claimed that the government had created 13 lakh new job opportunities in the state. She also announced a 2-year maternity leave for government women employees.

The state is set to go for polls later this year, and the ruling dispensation faced a rout in by-polls held on 2 parliamentary seats and 1 assembly seat at the hands of the Congress. The populist budget is hence seen as an attempt by the BJP to regain lost ground.