In presence of Gujarat chief minister and BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, Nitin Patel, the state finance minister, presented an interim budget in the Gujarat Legislative Assembly today.
Awaiting a cue from the new government that will assume power after the Lok Sabha elections, the Narendra Modi-government in Gujarat on Friday chose to present a vote-on-account budget, with an interim plan allocation of Rs 40,000 crore for the first four months of the next fiscal 2014-15, on Friday.
When asked why the state government has not taken any steps to rein in inflation that is affecting the common man, Patel said, “Keeping a tab on price-rise and inflation is Government of India’s (headed by PM Manmohan Singh) responsibility.”
1. Narendra Modi Gujarat refrained from imposing any fresh taxes or levies
2. No relief or sops provided to the people of Gujarat in interim budget
3. No mention of any new schemes or services in interim budget
4. Total budget estimate presented for the entire financial year 2014-15 is Rs 1,20,390 crore which is a five percent more than the budget size of 2013-14
5. Development expenditure for upcoming fiscal has gone up to Rs 80,974 crore
6. Non-developmental expenditure is Rs 37,627 crore.
7. Total budget shows a revenue surplus of Rs 7,697 crore
8. Fiscal deficit, estimated to be around Rs 17,611 crore, works out to 1.93 percent of the GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product)
9. GSDP of Gujarat (at current prices) stands at Rs 6,70,016 crore for the year 2012-13.
10. Public debt of the Gujarat government that currently stands at Rs 1.38 lakh crore is expected to increase to 1.53 lakh crore with the net addition of Rs 15,000 crore in 2013-14
