Shimla-The Himachal Pradesh Government presented a budget of Rs. 50,192 crores for the year 2021-22. No new taxes are proposed in the budget estimates for 2021-22.

During the year, the total revenue receipts are estimated to be of the order of Rs 37,027.94. On the Capital Account, the total receipts will be Rs 13,121.57 crore, comprising of Rs 41.06 crore on account of the recoveries of loans, public debt of Rs 11,730.51 crore and Rs 1,350.00 crore from the deposits, advances, remittances and provident fund etc. Thus, the total receipts during the year will be Rs 50,149.51 crore.

On the expenditure side, the revenue expenditure will be Rs 38,490.88 crore. Expenditure on Capital Account will be Rs 6,013.37 crore. The expenditure on loans (advances) and Inter-state settlement of public debt (repayments) will be Rs 353.87 crore and Rs 5,333.51 crore respectively. Thus, total expenditure will be Rs 50,191.63 crore.

In the budget estimates for 2021-22, the receipt and expenditure are estimated at Rs 50,149.51 crore and ₹50191.63 crore respectively. The Revenue Deficit in 2021-22 is likely to be Rs 1462.94 crore and the Fiscal Deficit is expected to be Rs 7,789.12 crore.

The Government said that State’s economy is estimated to contract only by minus 6.2 percent which is 1.5 percentage points less than the estimated contraction of GDP at national level during
2020-21. The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is expected to be Rs.1,56,522 crore during 2020-21 as per the Advance Estimates. The per capita income of State is estimated to be Rs.1,83,286 which is more than the estimated national per capita income for 2020-21 by Rs. 56,318.

HP Budget 2021-22 Highlights

1. The Government has kept a target of filling up 30,000 functional posts in 2021-22.
2. The Government will fill 4,000 (four thousand) posts of different categories in Health Department
3. 4,000 posts of different category teachers in Education Department
4. 8,000 posts of Multi Task Part Time Workers in Education Department
5. 5,000 posts of Multi Task Part Time Workers in PWD 
6. 5,000 posts of Para Fitters, Pump Operators & Multi Task Part Time Workers in Jal Shakti Department

In addition to this, functional posts of Police Personnel, Technical Posts in State Electricity Board, Drivers & Conductors in HRTC, Junior Engineers, Assistant Engineers, Officials in Revenue Department, Doctors & Officials in Animal Husbandry, staff for Urban Local Bodies, Technical Assistants and gram Rojgar Sahayaks in Panchayats, JOA (IT), Teachers & Instructors in Technical Education Department and class-IV employees, etc. will also be filled up. 

Class-IV employees are eligible to be promoted to the ministerial posts through two channels namely Limited Direct Recruitment and promotion, on turn. I announce that henceforth, they will also be eligible for promotion to the post of Junior Office Assistant (IT).

The government has proposed

1. An outlay of Rs. 8,024 crores on Education during 2021-22
2. Rs. 543 crore for Horticulture Sector in 2021-22
3. Outlay of Rs. 3,016 crore for health services
4. Outlay of Rs. 377 crore for Transport Corporation
5. Outlay of Rs.4,502 crore for the PWD in 2021-22
6. Outlay of Rs.25 crore for development of Ropeways during 2021-22
7. Outlay of Rs.1,016 crore for civil aviation during 2021-22

Announcements were made to

1. To enhance the maximum limit of remuneration of all categories of teachers under SMC by Rs. 500 per month.
2. Raise remuneration of IT teachers deployed on outsourced basis in different schools.
3. Provide hygiene kits to the Mid Day Meal workers in 2021-22.
4. The honorarium of Mid Day Meal Workers and Water Carriers will be enhanced by Rs.300 per month.
5. Increase in the stipend of PG students, Junior Residents, Senior Residents, DM/M.ch students by Rs.5,000 per month.
6. Increase ASHA worker honorarium by Rs.750 per month
7. Increase in the honorarium of part time workers engaged in Revenue Department by Rs.300 per month.
8. Increase monthly honorarium of Nambardars by Rs.300
9. Increase in the honorarium of Water Guards, Para Fitters and Pump Operators by Rs.300 per month.
10. Increase in the minimum daily wage from Rs.275 to Rs. 300 per day
11. Increase in the honorarium being given to Aanganwari Workers by Rs.500 per month, to Mini Aanganwari Workers by Rs.300 per month and to Aanganwari Helpers by Rs.300 per month.

Other Announcements

1. Reservation for women in direct recruitment for the posts of Constables and Sub-Inspectors in the Police Department will be increased up to 25 percent in a phased manner
2. PET scan machine will be installed in IGMC, Shimla during 2021- 22
3. CT Scan and MRI machines will be provided in the Medical College Tanda
4. Hamirpur and Nahan Medical Colleges will be provided MRI machine with an outlay of Rs.70 crore
5. Super Speciality Hospital, Chamiyana, Shimla being built with a total cost of Rs.278 crore will be made functional during 2021-22. In addition, the new OPD Block and Trauma Centre being constructed with a cost of Rs.103 crore and Rs.25 crore respectively at IGMC Shimla will also be made functional in 2021-22.
6. Rs.772 crore will be spent for infrastructure improvement in the State Medical Colleges located at Shimla, Tanda, Nahan, Hamirpur, Chamba and Nerchowk and also in the Dental College at Shimla. This expenditure has risen by 28 percent from Rs. 554 crore.
7. From 2021-22 all HIMCARE beneficiaries of above 70 years of age and all orphan children living in the Bal Ashrams of the State will be covered under the scheme without having to make any contribution
8. New eligible families will also be provided gas connection under the scheme and free cylinder refill will continue to be given. Government will spend Rs.20 crore on this scheme in the next year.
9. To create market niche for organic produce, it is proposed to register and certify farmers engaged in this practice and their produce will be branded with a budget of Rs.20 crore in 2021-22.
10. Creation of a “Research and Development Fund” for the Agriculture and Horticulture Universities of the State. This fund will be established with an initial corpus of Rs.5 crore.
11. In 2021-22, 4,000 hectare of additional land is proposed to be brought under the HIMCAD Scheme at a cost of Rs.83 crore, which is double of the earlier budget provision.

Under the Rs.1,000 crore World Bank-funded Horticulture Development Project, following initiatives will be taken in 2021-22, besides other activities:-

1. Five lakh root stocks will be imported.
2. 8 thousand hectares command area will be provided minor irrigation facilities through 200 Water Users Associations.
3. A Gene Repository would be established in Dr. Y.S. Parmar University, Nauni.
4. The work of CA stores and Pack Houses at JarolTikker, Rohru, Oddi, Patlikuhl and Tutupani will be completed.
5. An Apple Juice Concentrate Plant will be established in the plant at Parala, Shimla

Other Announcements

• Increase in milk procurement price by Rs. 2 for dairy farmers. During 2021-22 an outlay of Rs. 28 crore is proposed for MILKFED
• Rs. 248 crore will be provided to the Panchayati Raj Institutions in 2021-22 as per the recommendations of 5th State Finance Commission. In addition Rs. 409 crore provided by the Central Government will be spent for rural development programmes through these institutions.
• SHGs willing to take a loan up to Rs.5,00,000 to increase their activities and develop their entrepreneurship will be provided interest subvention on same rates for additional amount of Rs.2,00,000. Rs.10 crore will be spent annually on this subsidy
• Launching a new scheme “HIM IRA Rasoi (Canteen)” on pilot basis under which SHGs will run canteens in Technical Education Institutions and government offices to provide additional livelihood opportunities for Self Help Groups. The successful model of “She-Haat” started in Sirmour District will be replicated in other districts as well with the participation of Women Self Help Groups
• It is proposed to construct 100 Community Sanitary Complexes in Gram Panchayats. 16 Plastic Waste Management Plants and 12 Goverdhan projects will be established under ‘Swachh Bharat Mission (Grameen)’. Solid and Liquid Waste Management activities will be started in 2,400 villages.
• New plantation on 12,000 hectare land was targeted in 2020-21. Target and new plantation will be done on 14,000 hectare land in 2021-22
• Water storage facilities will be created to tap perennial streams by building check dams to increase moisture content in forest areas. Each such dam/pond would be able to retain 8 to 10 lakh litres of water.
• 300 dams/ Forest Conservation and Forest Based Livelihoods 85 reservoirs will be constructed in the next 2 years on which Rs.100 crore would be spent.
• Double the diet money of the participants from Rs.50 to Rs.100 at Block level, from Rs. 60 to Rs.120 at Zonal and District level and from Rs. 75 to Rs.150 at the State level.
• Purchase 200 new buses including Electric buses to replace old buses in 2021-22.
• Grant of one crore rupees each to the newly notified Municipal Corporations of Solan, Palampur and Mandi to strengthen the basic infrastructure
• Grant of Rs. 20 lakh each for the newly notified Nagar Panchayats during 2021-22 will be provided.
• Following works worth Rs.94 crore in Shimla to be completed through Shimla Jal Prabandhan Nigam in the coming year:
• Sewage Treatment Plants at Lal Pani, Malyana and Dhali being upgraded at a cost of about Rs.63 crore.
• New Sewage Treatment Plant being constructed with a cost of Rs.13 crore in Ashwini Khad.
•  Sewer Network and Sewage Treatment Plant for residents of Tutu area with a cost of Rs.12 crore.
•  Faecal Sludge Treatment Plant with a capacity of 2.5 Kilolitre per day at Lal Pan
• The construction work of Faecal Sludge and Septage Management Plant will be started with a total cost of Rs.10 crore.
• In addition, 7000 LED lights worth Rs.25 crore will be installed in Dharamshala in 2021-22.
• Under Shimla Smart City Project many important works will be completed in 2021-22. These works 94 include construction of smart path between Sanjauli and IGMC; construction of multi storey parking near IGMC; widening of the Circular Road and construction of pedestrian paths along side; stabilization of the Ridge; construction of foot over bridges and escalators at various places; installation of smart meters and construction of smart school in Krishna Nagar etc. Rs.258 crore will be spent to speedup execution of these works.
• The State Government has received in- principle approval to execute a project worth Rs.800 crore for Disaster Risk Reduction with the assistance of the French Development Agency.
• 3 lakh new connections will be provided during 2021-22 under Jal Jeevan Mission of the Government of India. In 2020-21 all households have been provided connections in Kinnaur, Lahaul & Spiti and Una districts. In 2021-22, three more districts namely Solan, Hamirpur and Bilaspur will be fully covered under the scheme.
• The State Government will spend Rs. 604 crore as energy charges in 2021-22 for running drinking water and irrigation schemes.
• Solar power based drinking water supply scheme will be constructed in Paonta Sahib on experimental basis in 2021-22. At least 10 more such schemes will be identified which are power guzzlers and have scope for solar energy driven pumping of water. Solar Plants will be installed at such locations to reduce energy charges.
• Sewage Schemes and STPs are being constructed in important areas of the State namely Parwanoo, Kala Amb, Nalagarh, Baddi 97 and at some places on Beas river in Kullu and Mandi Districts. Rs. 364 crore will be spent on these. An outlay of Rs. 200 crore is proposed for these schemes in 2021-22.
• Enhance the present limit of project 99 cost from Rs.60 lakh to Rs.1 crore under “Mukhayamantri Swablamban Yojana”.  In addition, the grant limit on eligible plant and machinery is proposed to be enhanced from Rs.40 lakh to Rs.60 lakhs. In 2021-22, an expenditure of Rs.100 crore is expected under the Scheme.
• The State Government has decided in November, 2020 to give one time relaxation to all the power producers to construct pending hydroelectric projects at an early date.
• During the 2021-22, projects of around 755 MW capacity are likely to be commissioned, which include Bajoli Holi (180 MW), Parvati-II (400 MW), Tidong-I (150 MW) and Lambadug (25 MW).
• All Electro-mechanical Meters will be replaced with Electronic Meters in 2021-22.
• It is proposed to distribute off-grid solar power plants of 250 W capacity each to 1500 BPL families during 2021- 22 in the far flung areas of Pangi valley and Lahaul & Spiti.
• Set up roof top solar energy plants in all health and education institutions in a phased manner which will be connected with the grid. Target of 2 MW is fixed for the year 2021-22 under this scheme.
• The youth of the state can now register themselves online for Skill Development Allowance and Industrial Skill Labour and Employment 106 Development Allowance Scheme 2018. Counselling programme for these beneficiaries will also be started. State Government will spend Rs.100 crore for these allowances. 167. Employment to 7,000 people will be provided in private sector through ‘Rojgar Melas’ and ‘Campus Interviews’.
• Government has prepared a shelf of 27 roads with the cost of Rs.641 crore and posed it for funding under Central Road Fund.
• An amount of Rs. 75 crore to be spent in 2021-22 under ‘Mukhya Mantri Gram Sadak Yojna’
• An amount of Rs.50 crore shall be spent on W-metal beam crash barriers to increase road safety.
• Aim to have total road length of 40,000 kilometres by 2022. Similarly, the length of black-top roads will be increased from 30,244 kilometres to 34,000 kilometres by 2022.
• Aim to have total road length of 40,000 kilometres by 2022. Similarly, the length of black-top roads will be increased from 30,244 kilometres to 34,000 kilometres by 2022.

Following targets for PWD Department in 2021-22:

1. Metalling and Tarring : 2,000 Kilometres
2. Construction of Motorable Roads : 1,000 Kilometres  
3. Cross Drainage : on 945 Kilometre roads
4. Bridges to be constructed : 80
5. Villages to be connected with roads : 90
6. Road up-gradation : 800 Kilometres
7.  Periodic Renewal : 2,200 Kilometres

More Announcements 

• Continue implementation of ‘Mukhya Mantri Yuva Khel Protsahan Yojana’ during 2021-22 also and propose an expenditure of Rs.10.22 crore on its implementation.
• In 2021-22, the construction work of indoor stadia in Sundernagar and Solan; Hockey Astroturf at Majra will be started with a cost of Rs.14.50 crore
• Provide post birth grant of Rs.21,000 in the shape of fixed deposit at the time of birth by rationalizing and unifying the Women and Child Development, Welfare of the Weaker Sections/ Social Security Pension 114 two schemes.
• The young girls belonging to Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes of BPL families will be provided a grant of Rs.31,000 at the time to their marriage. An expenditure of Rs.50 crore is proposed for this.
• A new scheme ‘Swaran Jayanti Naari Sambal Yojana’ from 2021-22 with an objective to expand social security net for elderly women of Himachal Pradesh. All the eligible elderly women in the age group of 65-69 years, irrespective of any income criteria, will be provided social security pension of Rs.1,000 per month. This 115 will benefit about 60,000 elderly women and an amount of Rs.55 crore is proposed to be spent on it.
• Approximately, 6.60 lakh persons will be covered under different social security pension schemes with the implementation of these announcements
• 757 new CCTV Cameras will be installed and existing 651 CCTV Cameras will be upgraded in all the Police Stations. All district control rooms will be modernized and will be linked to each other and State Headquarters. Police Department will work on the Intelligent Traffic Management System with an propose an outlay of Rs.9 crore to meet these objectives.
• Proposal to increase the allocation to Rs.100 crore to clear the pendency of medical reimbursement claims of retired Government servants