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HP Budget 2019-20 Highlights
Shimla-Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur on Saturday presented the Annual Budget for the Year 2019-20 in HP Vidhan Sabha.
As per the revised estimates for 2018-19, total revenue receipts are expected to be Rs. 31 thouand, 189 crore against the budget estimates of Rs. 30 thousand, 400 crore. Total revenue expenditure as per revised estimates for 2018-19 is expected to be Rs. 33 thousand, 408 crore against the budget estimates of Rs. 33 thousand, 568 crore. Thus the total revenue deficit is expected to be Rs. 2 thousand, 219 crore as per revised estimates, which is Rs. 949 crore less than the budget estimates for 2018-19. The fiscal deficit is expected to be Rs. 7 thousand, 786 crore as per the revised estimates for 2018-19 which is 5.14 percent of the Gross Budget Estimates 71 State Domestic Product. The fiscal deficit as percentage of GSDP was estimated at 5.16 percent in the budget estimates for 2018-19.
This deficit is expected to be covered by net borrowings of Rs. 4 thousand, 546 crore during 2018-19, which will be within the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act (FRBM) approved limit.
During 2019-20, total revenue receipts are estimated at Rs. 33 thousand, 747 crore, whereas total revenue expenditure is estimated to be Rs. 36 thousand, 089 crore. Thus total revenue deficit is estimated at Rs. 2 thousand, 342 crore. Fiscal deficit is estimated to be Rs. 7 thousand, 352 crore which is 4.35 percent of the Gross State Domestic Product. The difference between the receipts and the expenditure will be made good through net borrowings, which are estimated at Rs. 5 thousand and 69 crore during 2019-20. These borrowings will be in accordance with the obligations under the FRBM Act.
Out of every hundred rupees to be spent by the Government, Rs. 27.84 will be spent on salaries, Rs. 15 on pension, Rs.10.25 on interest payment, Rs. 7.35 on loan repayment and Rs.39.56 will be spent on development works and other activities.
No new taxes have been proposed in the budget estimates for the year 2019-20.
Read Highlights of HP Budget 2019-20
- Nearly 20,000 functional posts will be filled-up. New pay-scales will be granted after recommendations of the Punjab Pay Commission.
- The State Government’s contribution of 10 percent under NPS will be increased to 14 percent.
- Necessary changes will be made in the policy for giving employment on compassionate grounds.
- DA to employees and DR to pensioners at the rate of 4 percent will be given from 1st July, 2018.
- 83 Class-IV employees who have completed 20 years of service and are already getting a grade pay of Rs.1,900 will be eligible for another increment
- 10 percent reservation will be provided to the general category in employment and educational institutions.
- The outlay for the Annual Plan 2019-20 will be Rs.7,100 crore.
- The limit for posing projects to NABARD for funding MLA Priority Schemes will be increased to Rs.105 crore per Assembly Constituency.
- Outlay under Vidhayak Kshetra Vikas Nidhi Yojna will be increased to Rs.1.50 crore per Assembly Constituency.
- The Discretionary Grant per MLA will be increased to Rs.8 lakh. Hon’ble MLAs will be able to recommend sports material and equipment worth Rs.25, 000 per registered Yuvak Mandal out of Vidhayak Kshetra Vikas Nidhi Yojna.
- This grant for Mahila Mandals will also be increased to Rs.25,000.
- An annual Loktantre Prehari Samman Rashi of Rs.11,000 will be given to the persons arrested under MISA during emergency.
- 74 Additional 136 G2C Services will be automated and linked with e-District Portal. State of Art Command and Control Centre will be setup in the State.
- Mukhya Mantri Help Line will be established. MyGov portal will be started to establish contact between the Government and public.
- The State Government will supplement the Central Government’s “Ujjwala” Yojna by providing one free cylinder, gas stove and pipe from its own resources.
- One additional LPG refill cylinder will be provided free to the beneficiaries of Himachal Grihani Suvidha Yojna and Ujjwala Yojna.
- Barbed Wire and Chain Link will be provided at 50 percent subsidy under Mukhya Mantri Khet Sanrakshan Yojna.
- 50 percent subsidy will be provided for purchasing Cows of indigenous breed to promote natural farming.
- Electricity charges being paid by farmers for irrigation will be reduced to 50 paisa per unit.
- A scheme “Doubling of Farmers’ Income through Water Conservation and other Activities” will be started with the assistance of Asian Development Bank.
- Nadaun Medium Irrigation Scheme will be completed and commissioned. Pace will be provided to execution 75 of Phina Singh Medium Irrigation Scheme.
- The execution of Swan River Flood Management Project and Chhonch Khad Channelization Project will be speeded up.
- A scheme “Himachal Pradesh Flood and River Management Project” with the first phase costing Rs.1,235 crore and second phase costing Rs.1,850 crore will be started with external assistance.
- The compensation under “Mukhya Mantri Kisan Avam Khetihar Majdoor Jeevan Suraksha Yojna” will be doubled.
- A new “Mukhya Mantri Nutan Poly House Project” with a total cost of Rs.150 crore will be started.
- The outlay for Anti Hail Nets will be doubled to Rs.20 crore.
- “Mukhya Mantri Khumb Vikas Yojna” will be started.
- “Himachal Pradesh Sub Tropical Horticulture, Irrigation and Value Addition (SHIVA)” project with a total cost of Rs.1,688 will be started with external assistance.
- Breeding farm for Sahiwal and Red Sindhi Cows will be established with a total cost of Rs.11 crore and Embryo Transfer Technology will be used for their breeding.
- Goats will be provided at a subsidy of 85 percent to the farmers living below poverty line.
- Sheep of improved breeds will be imported. A farm for Murrah buffaloes and Gokul Gram will be set-up.
- Additional processing capacity of 50,000 litre per day will be installed in Duttnagar and Chakkar Milk Processing Plant.
- 76 Milk procurement price will be enhanced by Rs.2 per litre.
- 100 Trout Units and Carp Fish Ponds in 10 hectare will be constructed.
- Retail fish outlets will be established in Kangra, Chamba and Shimla and Insurance cover will be provided to Trout units.
- Honorarium of elected representatives of Panchayati Raj Institutions will be increased. Honorarium of Panchayat Chowkidar will be increased to Rs.4,500.
- Mukhya Mantri Gram Kaushal Yojna will be started.
- The State Government will provide uniform financial assistance of Rs.20,000 for house construction for the poor out of its own resources, in addition to assistance currently being provided, both in rural and urban areas.
- The subsidy for repair of houses under “Mukhya Mantri Aawas Yojna” will be increased.
- A new scheme “Ek Buta Beti Ke Naam” will be started. SMS based alert system will be started to fight forest fires.
- 25 Small Scale Industries will be established using pine needles as raw material.
- A new “Mukhya Mantri Green Technology Transfer Scheme” will be started.
- Integrated Cooperative Development Project will be started in Una and Chamba Districts.
- 250 Auditors will 77 be empanelled for undertaking audit of the Cooperative Societies.
- A grant of Rs.15,000 will be provided to the forest personnel in 200 sensitive beats for procuring arms.
- The honorarium to elected Members of the Urban Local Bodies will be increased.
- State Disaster Response Force will be setup. 500 habitations will be provided with safe drinking water supply.
- “Mukhya Mantri Swajal Yojna” will be started to provide up to 50 metre of pipe at a subsidy of 50 percent to the weaker sections of the society.
- The honorarium of the Water Guards, Pump Fitters and Para Fitters in Irrigation and Public Health Department will be increased.
- Functional posts in the department will be filled up on need basis.
- The Government will bring out a new Micro Small and Medium Industrial Policies.
- Global Investors Summit will be held in Dharamshala.
- The age limit and investment limit under “Mukhya Mantri Swablamban Yojna” will be increased.
- A new “Mukhya Mantri Dastkar Sahayata Yojna” will be started. 78 Industrial areas in Channour, Gehrwin and Basouli Bangarh will be set-up.
- Hydel Projects with an installed capacity of 500 MW will be commissioned.
- Execution of Chanju-3 and Deothal Chanju projects will be commenced.
- A new “Mukhya Mantri Roshni Yojna” will be started to help poor families getting electricity connection without payment of service charges.
- A subsidy of Rs.475 crore will be provided to HPSEB Ltd.
- A new tourism policy will be brought out and Master Plan for promoting Eco-Tourism will be prepared.
- Pong Area Development Board will be set up. “Shiv Dham” will be established in Mandi district to attract tourists.
- Tourism Infrastructure Development Project with a cost of Rs.1,892 crore will be started with the assistance of an external funding agency.
- Rs.100 crore will be provided for “Kaushal Vikas Bhatta Yojna.”
- Integrated Public Transport Management System will be introduced in HRTC.
- A new electric vehicle policy will be brought out. 79 Non-conventional material and new technique approved by the Indian Road Congress will be used for construction and maintenance of roads on pilot basis.
- 750 kilometres new roads, culverts/small bridges on 850 kilometres of road length, 1,500 kilometres of tarred roads and 50 bridges will be constructed which will connect 50 new villages.
- Annual turnover limit for GST registration will be increased to Rs.40 lakh and composition turnover limit will be increased to Rs.1.50 crore.
- A mobile App and an online facility will be introduced to deposit CGCR, PGT and AGT.
- Video conference facility will be setup in schools. 15 new Atal Aadarsh Vidya Kendras will be started in various Assembly Constituencies.
- A new CV Raman Virtual Classrooms Yojna will be started.
- A new “Khel Se Swasthya” Yojna will be started in educational institutions.
- A new “Atal Nirmal Jal Yojna” will be started to provide water filters in schools.
- Skill Development assistance will be provided to disabled persons under a new scheme “Navdharana”.
- 50 ITIs will be modernized which will enable intake of 5,500 additional students.
- Two large playgrounds with Gym facilities per Assembly Constitutency to be constructed under ‘Mukhya Mantri Yuva Nirman Yojna’.
- A new “Khel Kood Pratibha Khoj Karyakram” will be started.
- A new “Mukhya Mantri Kalakar Protsahan Yojna” will be started.
- Free Lap-Tops to be provided to State and district level accredited journalists.
- The financial assistance under “Patrakaar Kalyan Yojna” will be doubled.
- 500 Health Sub Centres and 125 Primary Health Centres will be upgraded to Health and Wellness Centres.
- 12 Health Institutions will be upgraded under “Sampuran Swasthya Yojna”.
- Cath Lab will be established in Lal Bahadur Shastri Medical College Mandi and Dr. Y.S. Parma Medical College, Nahan.
- Digital Subtraction Angiography Machine will be setup in IGMC, Shimla
- 81 New SAHARA scheme to provide financial assistance to patients belonging to weaker sections of the society and suffering from serious ailments requiring prolonged treatment and after care.
- The diet allowance to the HIV-AIDS infected persons will be increased to Rs.1, 500 per month
- The assistance under “Janani Suraksha Yojna” will be increased to Rs.1, 100.
- Mobile Diagnostic Vans will be introduced to diagnose and prevent breast and cervical cancer.
- Honorarium of ASHA workers will be increased.
- Free Health Insurance cover under HIMCARE for MGNREGA workers, who have completed atleast 50 days of wage employment, and widows drawing social security pension.
- Subsidised health insurance cover for outsourced employees.
- Widows less than 45 years of age will be assisted in upgrading their skills and getting employment.
- Reservation in admissions in ITIs and Nursing Institutions will be provided to them.
- After Care Homes will be established for the orphans completing the age of 18 years.
- They will also be provided training.
- Honorarium of the Anganwari workers, Mini Anganwari Workers and Anganwari helpers will be increased. 82.
- The social security pension of more than 5 lakh pensioners of the State will be increased.
- War Memorial will be constructed in Nurpur. The financial assistance for undergoing SSB coaching will be increased to Rs.12,000.
- 100 police chowkis of the State will be designated as Reporting Police Chowkis so that FIRs can be registered in them.
- Head Constables will be authorized to investigate Excise Crime.
- Graduate Police Constable will also be authorized to investigate certain offences.
- “Yuva Navjeevan Board” will be setup to develop a coordinated strategy to deal with trafficking and consumption of narcotics.
- Five de-addiction and rehabilitation centres will also be established.
- 73 Many targets under the Sustainable Development Goals will be achieved by 2022 instead of 2030.
Read Detailed HP Budget 2019-20
Detailed-HP-Budget-2019-20
Shimla-Himachal Pradesh Government employees working in different departments before January 3, 2022, would be given a higher scale at par with other employees on completion of two years tenure of regular service. A higher pay scale was also announced for the Junior Office Assistants (IT) on completion of two years of regular service.
Chief Minister Jairam Thakur made these announcements during the Karamchari Maha Sammelan of the Himachal Pradesh Non-Gazetted Employees Federation at the hotel Peterhof on Sunday.
He appreciated the role played by the employee especially frontline workers in the battle against the pandemic.
He said most of the government employees in the state have been given revised pay scales and on average, every employee has got the benefit of a 12 to 15 percent salary hike. There has also been an increase in the pension of about 1.50 lakh pensioners of the state. The financial benefits of Rs. 7801 crore have been given to state government employees and pensioners from the year 2018 to 2022. The pensioners who retired before 2016 are getting the benefit of a 15 to 20 percent increase in the pension while around 40 thousand pensioners who retired after 2016 would be benefitted soon, he said.
He said the daily wages were Rs. 210 in the year 2017 which has been increased by the present state government to Rs. 350. Similarly, 12 per cent interim relief annually has been provided to government employees and pensioners during the present government’s tenure. He said the Himachal government has provided Dearness Allowance to its employees and pensioners on the lines of Punjab and Central governments from the due date. The Punjab government has given only 5 percent interim relief to the employees while the Himachal government has provided 21 percent interim relief to its employees.
“Out of the total interim relief amount given to the employees and pensioners amounting to about Rs. 6500 crore, Rs. 3500 crore has been paid during the tenure of our government” added the Chief Minister.
He said that the state government has increased the government contribution for NPS employees from 10 percent to 14 percent benefitting more than one lakh employees. The NPS employees are being given the benefits of retirement and death gratuity at par with employees falling under the old pension scheme. The government has also increased the upper limit of death gratuity from Rs. 10 lakh to Rs. 20 lakh.
The Chief Minister said the state government has also increased the honorarium of para-workers working in various departments. The salary of outsource workers has been hiked by Rs 1,500 per month.
Non-Gazetted Employees Federation President Ashwani Thakur thanked the Chief Minister for providing various financial and other benefits to different categories of government employees.
New Delhi-The Centre has issued a notification to the States informing that the provisions of the Disaster Management (DM) Act, 2005 will not be invoked in the country after March 31. The Union Health Ministry said that the use of face masks and following hand hygiene will continue.
It implies that most of the Covid-related rules and restrictions would end.
Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla issued the notification which said that the decision was taken following the overall improvement in the situation and the preparedness of the government in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
However, local authorities and State police can still invoke fines and criminal cases against persons violating COVID-19 norms under the Indian Penal Code (IPC), a senior government official said.
The DM Act was invoked on March 24, 2020, due to the pandemic
“Over the last seven weeks or so there has been a steep decline in the number of cases. The total caseload in the country stands at 23,913 only and the daily positivity rate has declined to 0.28%. It is also worth mentioning that with the combined efforts, a total of 181.56 Cr vaccine doses have been administered,” the notification said.
“I would like to mention that in view of the nature of the disease, we still need to remain watchful of the situation. Wherever any surge in the number of cases is observed, the States/UTs may consider taking prompt and proactive action at a local level, as advised by MoHFW (Health Ministry) from time to time,” the notification said.
The Indian government had issued various guidelines and measures for the first time on March 24, 2020, under the Disaster Management Act to curb the COVID-19 situation in the country, which have been modified several times thereafter.
India currently has 23,087 active COVID-19 cases and recorded 1,778 new cases and 62 deaths in the last 24 hours. The daily positivity rate has also declined to 0.28%.
Shimla-A meeting of the Himachal Pradesh Cabinet was held on March 20, 2022, under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur.
The excise policy for the financial year 2022-23 was approved. Approval was also given for the renewal of retail excise vends in the state for the financial year 2022-23 at the renewal fees of 4% of the value of unit/vend.
The State Government said that wants to enhance the government revenue and curb the smuggling of country liquor from the neighbouring states by a reduction in its price.
The brands of Country Liquor will be cheaper as license fees have been reduced. This will help in providing good quality liquor at a cheaper rate to the consumers.
In the new excise policy, the 15% fixed quota of country liquor for manufacturers and bottlers to be supplied to the retail licensees has been abolished. According to the government, this step will give the retail licensees to lift their quota from the suppliers of their choice and further assure the supply of good quality country liquor at competitive prices. The MRP of country liquor will be cheaper by 16% of the existing price.
In this year’s policy, the Gaudhan Vikas Nidhi Fund has been enhanced by Re.1/- from the existing Rs.1.50 to Rs.2.50.
The fixed annual license fee of Bars has been rationalized by abolishing the area-specific slabs of license fee. Now throughout the State, there will be uniform license slabs based upon the room capacity in hotels.
Rates of the annual fixed license fee of Bars in the tribal areas has been reduced considerably.
Further, all the above stakeholders will have to install CCTV cameras at their establishments as it was made mandatory for them.
Wholesale vends and retail vends, the penalty provisions under the H.P. Excise Act, 2011 have been made more stringent.
An end to end online Excise Administration System would be established in Himachal Pradesh, the government said.
HP Government estimates a collection of Rs 2131 crore revenue during the year, which will be Rs. 264 crores higher than the financial year 2021-22 – growth of 14% in state excise revenues.
The Cabinet also gave its nod to amend Himachal Pradesh Disaster Relief Manual-2012 to include deaths due to biting of honey bees, hornet and wasps, accidental drowning and deaths due to accidents of vehicles (including land, water and air) under this Manual.
The Cabinet gave its approval for filling up 11 posts of ‘A’ Class Tehsildar in Revenue Department through direct recruitment on regular basis through Himachal Pradesh Public Service Commission.
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The HP Cabinet also gave its nod to HP State Toll Policy for the year 2022-23 which envisages auction cum tender for all the toll barriers in the State. During the year 2021-22, toll revenue has registered a growth of 20 percent of the previous year’s revenue.
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