17th, March, 2023

Topic: Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presented his first of its Kind “Green Budget” in Vidhan Sabha.

 

Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains are essential.

Importance for  Prelims: Himachal Budget 2023-24

• PAPER-VI: GENERAL STUDIES-III: UNIT II: Himachal Budget 2023-24.

 

What is the news?

• In the Vidhan Sabha, Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presented its first “Green Budget”.

 

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Thakur Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu gave his first budget proposal to the Assembly on Friday. The next fiscal year, 2023-2024, is expected to cost Rs 53413 crore, and the fiscal deficit is expected to be Rs 9900 crore, which is 4.6% of the state’s gross domestic product. The shortfall in revenue is Rs 4,704 crore.

• During the fiscal year 2023–2024, the state will bring in Rs 37,999 crores and spend Rs 42,704 crores.

What does the name “Green Budget” mean?

• The chief minister said it was a budget focused on “Green Himachal” and health care.

 

A Few Key Points of the Himachal Budget for 2023–24:

• He said spirits sales would have a cow cess of Rs 10 per bottle.
• The chief minister said it was a budget focused on “Green Himachal” and health care.
• When Sukhu talked about the budget, he said that 2.31 lakh women in the state would get a monthly payment of Rs 1500. He said that the government had already set up OPS and that work had begun to ensure Rajiv Gandhi Day-Boarding School lived up to its promise.
• “The government has done what it said it would do,” he said.
• He said that all the women in the state would get a monthly allowance of Rs 1500. This would be done in five steps.
• He said the government would hire 30,000 unemployed young people from the state during the next financial year.
• Only 5000 of these jobs will be filled by the Jal Shakti Department. The other 25,000 jobs will be filled by departments like health, technical education, education, police, revenue, animal husbandry, Panchayati Raj, the electricity board, and others.
• The state’s leader said that Himachal Pradesh will be a “Green Energy” state by March 31, 2026.
• He said 500 MW solar power projects would be built in the state in 2023-2024.
• He said that young people in the state would get a 40% subsidy to set up solar power systems from 250 KW to 2 MW on their own or rented land. He said that the state would become a model for electric vehicles.
• The Chief Minister said electric cars would be promoted in stages with help from the private sector and the government.
• In the first step, electric cars will turn six national and state highways into “green corridors.” The Chief Minister announced subsidies of 50 per cent up to a maximum of Rs 50 lakh to private bus operators for e-buses and private truck operators for e-trucks.
• In the same way, private operators who set up charging stations will get a 50% subsidy.
• The Chief Minister said that the State Road Transport Corporation will change 1,500 diesel buses into e-buses over time. This will cost Rs 1 trillion.
• He also said 20,000 girls with good grades would get a discount of Rs. 25,000 each on an electric scooter.
• Himachal Pradesh’s chief minister said that a green hydrogen policy would be made so the state could become a leader in the green hydrogen economy. He said that two panchayats in each district would be turned into green panchayats as a test.
• He also said that the Himachal Pradesh Power Sector Development Program would begin with help from the World Bank at Rs. 2,000 crore and that a centralised cell would be set up to manage the sale and purchase of energy more efficiently.
• He also said that the process of buying land for the proposed GreenField Airport at Balh in Mandi, the expansion of Kangra Airport, the building of heliports at district headquarters, and the soon-to-be-started Helitaxi service from Sanjauli and Baddi, had begun.
• To make Kangra district the tourism capital of Himachal Pradesh, he said he would spend Rs 300 crore to build water sports, Shikara, cruise, and yacht facilities at Pongdam and a zoo at Bankhandi.
• The Chief Minister said that robotic surgeries would start slowly in all of the state’s medical colleges, emergency rooms would be built in all medical colleges, and a model health institute would be built in each assembly constituency.
• He said that a Centre of Excellence and a Department of Nuclear Medicine would be set up to help people with cancer. He also said that PET scans would be available in all Medical Colleges.
• He promised Rs 100 crore to finish building work at Hamirpur, Nahan, and Chamba Medical Colleges that had not been finished.
• The chief minister said that Rajiv Gandhi Day-Boarding Schools would open in every assembly constituency, that colleges would hold job fairs twice a year, that there would be libraries in every senior secondary school, that 10,000 students with good grades would get tablets, and that digital hardware would be put in 762 schools as part of the ICT scheme.

 

What is a Budget, in context of a State?

• Under Article 202 of the constitution, a statement of the estimated receipts and expenditures of the State for a financial year called the
  “Annual Financial Statement” (or the “budget”), is to be laid before the legislature of the State.

 

The Budget submitted to the Legislative Assembly is a compilation based on the following estimates:

(1) The estimates of income;
(2) The estimates of expenditure;
(4) The lists of major and minor works and schemes;
(5) The statements of anticipated excesses and surrenders.

(Source: thestatesman)

 

Topic: All India Civil Services Kabaddi Competition winner call on Governor

 

Himachal HPAS Prelims and Mains are essential.

Importance for  Prelims: Sports

 

What is the news?

• Members of the women’s Kabaddi team of Himachal Pradesh Secretariat, who won the All India Civil Services Kabaddi Competition called on Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla at Raj Bhavan here today.

 

Where All India Civil Services Kabaddi Competition held?

• 2023 All India Civil Services Kabaddi Tournament (men’s and women’s) held from 20-24 February in Uttarakhand.

Governor shared:

• While congratulating the members, the Governor said that it was a matter of pride for the State that women players have become an inspiration for all with their excellent performance. He said that despite the work of the office and household, they also took time for sports and performed their best.
• Today the women were performing excellently at every level and there was no such field where women had not established their identity, said the Governor, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has taken sports to new heights in the country and he was continuously doing the work of boosting the morale of the players. He added that by starting the MP sports competition, he has encouraged sports up to the village level.
• Expressing gratitude to the Governor, team coach Rajendra Panta and team manager Gulpal Verma said that the State team had a great performance in the competition organized from 20th to 24th February at Dehradun in Uttarakhand.

(Source: HP Government)