Rajasthan budget early reaction by dr jyotikiran Shukla

Dr. Jyoti Kiran Shukla

Former Chairperson

Fifth State Finance Commission,

Rajasthan

       This budget is only repackaging central govt budget and economic survey in a crude manner.  No big idea , no economic stimulus, no employment and growth interlinking, no road map of development of Rajasthan as a modern state.

          All the announcement regarding new policies are only announcements as the earlier track record says. 1300 crores in metro are to be seen for contribution of metro. May it be water conservation or smse, or solar or EV it's only a bad copy of central govt budget. Zero budget farming of central budget has been copied as it is in new ways. Only scattered announcement s will not take the state anywhere. No clear plan to farmer loan wavers for all categories of farmers. Kisan Kalyan Kosh is an eyewash.

      The tax discipline has been given away to popular announcements. This is reflecting in loan which is 33.13 percent of GDP.  Again the fiscal deficit is deceptive . No major reforms. No vision on long term or medium term. It's contradictory as one side CM speaks of poor economic state of the state but nothing has been done to expand or improve the revenue side. 

       Expenditure is scattered without vision. On first look expenditure on social sector, water conservation, I T, irrigation appears to be dipping. Nothing has been done specifically for the poorest of poor. No stimulus to industry as only future policies have been promised. Free drugs are eyewash so is PHC expansion  as no technical staff is there without new recruitment. Women empowerment expenditure amount has been reduced.

      Only an eyewash  vision less,and verbose budget. No completion of Jan ghoshna Patra, No clear vision on infra structure for urban areas, No time line for youth employment. As 100000 employment are only announcements, No unemployment bhatta, No right to health, no capital investment, also farm waver is a blatant lie. Nothing has been done to grass root rural panchayats to strengthen them which was promised in Jan ghoshna patra.

More facts

1.Out of 75000 employment 30 000 already done in our time.

2.Adtional tax on petro products will create additional burden of 9576 crores.

3.education sector is reduced expenditure.

4.all the names of BJP scheme s which were appreciated on. international level like MJSA , Bhamashah has been changed.

5.Nothing on tourism development. Which is imputed loss of 10.000 crs

6. Fiscal prudence has never been a Priority of gehlots. government. in the 18-19 BJP budget deficit was 28lakh11 crores21 lacs, which was 2.98 percent of gsdp. Where as it is 32 thosand 678 crores 34lacs in current budget which is 3.19 % of gsdp. Not only it will cause inflationary tendencies but would hurt   the very target of Fiscal consolidation.

7. Its beyond us why the capital expenditure tables which are conventionally given in the budget speech documents are missing in the current budget speech. bJP government had 20 thosand 187 crores 73 thosand in 17 -18 as  capital account access which was 17thousand50 5 crores  31 lakhs in 18-19. In the  absence of any such estimates in the current budget  no analysis is  possible which creates unnecessary doubts.

8. In the current budget speech the chief minister expressed immense pleasure in announcing no new tax and giving a tax relief of 301crores. BJP govt had given a tax relief of 650 crores without imposing a single rupee new tax.

9. A clear provision of 77000 thousand recruitment was done in the raje's last budget and an announcement for the current year was made in the very same (para 143) of the speech. So the announcement made was just a repeat for taking credit. it's not an economist or investors budget. surprisingly it's not even the budget of the poor as nothing special has been done for the poorest of the poor. Its a confused patchwork of scattered and copy paste ideas.