Haryana govt presents ₹1.55 lakh-cr budget; raises old-age pension to ₹2.5k/month

Chandigarh: The Haryana government on Friday presented a ₹ 1.55 lakh crore budget for the 2021-22 fiscal, with health, agriculture and infrastructure identified as key priority areas.

Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who also holds the finance department portfolio, presented his second budget in the State Assembly in Chandigarh.

Presenting the budget estimates, which have no fresh tax proposals, Mr Khattar proposed a budget of ₹ 1,55,645 crore for FY 2021-22, an increase of 13 per cent over FY 2020-21 of ₹ 1,37,738 crore.

The budget outlay comprises 25 per cent as capital expenditure of ₹ 38,718 crore and 75 per cent as revenue expenditure of ₹ 1,16,927 crore.

Reading out the budget estimates in the House, Khattar said that the COVID-19 pandemic posed unprecedented challenges and "taught us several lessons".

"It is important for the budget to prioritise specific sectors that are key to leverage a rebound in the economy, particularly in times of crisis. We have identified health, agriculture and infrastructure as key priority areas that we need to focus recovery and resurgence," he said.

"While focusing on health is of paramount importance in these times of unprecedented public health crisis, agriculture which forms the foundation of our economy and which is the sheet anchor of our self-reliance is critical," he said.

Mr Khattar said that his government needs to continue assistance to farmers for paving the way for Haryana's economic growth.

An outlay of ₹ 6,110 crore has been proposed for 2021-22, of which ₹ 2,998 crore is earmarked for agriculture and farmers welfare, ₹ 489 crore for horticulture, ₹ 1,225 crore for animal husbandry & dairying, ₹ 125 crore for fisheries and ₹ 1,274 crore for cooperation.

The outlay of ₹ 6,110 crore for 2021-22 indicates an increase of 20.9 per cent against the 2020-21 fiscal's ₹ 5,052 crore.

He said the government is committed to doubling the farmer''s income.

"We are indebted to our farmers, whose toil and hard work has made Haryana the food bowl of the country. Agriculture is the mainstay of our economy. We are committed to doubling farmer''s income and ensuring his/her wellbeing," he said.

He said this budget endeavours to reinforce "our interventions and schemes for agriculture on increasing farmer's income, crop diversification and water conservation".

It is also important to support and nurture these interventions by providing critical infrastructure - be it expanding the health network, increasing the outreach of vaccination, setting up testing labs and so on, farm gate processing infrastructure, irrigation specially micro-irrigation facilities to promote crop diversification among other key things, he said.