Elections round the corner,Gehlot rains sops in budget

Gehlot also promised 16 new medical colleges,75,000 agricultural power connections,6,000 km of repaired and 1,712 km of new rural roads,44,000 jobs in police,42,700 jobs as teachers and 40,000 as education helpers.

And in a bid to win the support of the state’s 6,00,000 employees,who have been agitating against his government for not paying their Sixth Pay Commission arrears since 2006,the chief minister announced their salaries would be revised from July 1.

Gehlot rolled out sops for accredited journalists as well: free laptops,enhancement of medical cover from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 5 lakh and reduction of age for pension from 62 years to 60.

In other major decisions,the budget did away with luxury tax on community halls,inns and marriage gardens in towns with population of one lakh; proposed to scrap VAT on cumin and fennel seeds,and abolish land tax. Tobacco products were made dearer by 50 to 65 percent.

The budget pegged the overall plan size for 2013-14 at Rs 40,139 crore,estimated a budgetary surplus of Rs 336.52 crore,fiscal deficit of Rs 13,019.86 crore and revenue receipts of Rs 77,220.60 crore.

Gehlot’s effort,however,did not much impress the BJP.

“This budget aims at wooing the masses before the upcoming elections,” Leader of Opposition Gulab Chand Kataria said.

Earlier,before Gehlot could begin his presentation,the opposition,citing a media report,alleged that he had illegally allotted sandstone mines to his relatives in Jodhpur. Gehlot rejected the allegation and challenged the opposition to get it investigated.