Delhi allocates INR 1,168 cr in budget; AAP govt claims ‘stepmotherly’ treatment by Centre

The Union Territory of Delhi on Thursday received an allocation of Rs 1,168 crore in the interim budget for 2024-25, the same as in 2023-24, with the AAP government accusing the BJP-led Center of providing “stepmotherly” treatment to the Union Territory of Delhi. The nation’s capital.

The transfer from the Union Home Ministry to Delhi includes Rs 1,168 crore under revenue and Rs 0.01 crore under capital.

In the 2022-23 budget, Delhi has been allocated Rs 960 crore. The amount increases to Rs 1,168.01 crore in 2023-24 and remains unchanged in 2024-25. There is no subsidy in lieu of its share in Delhi’s central taxes and duties. The budget for 2022-23 is Rs 325 crore.

The grant in return for Delhi’s share in the central tax and customs pool was classified under ‘Central assistance to Union Territories’ in the Budget Estimates 2023-24 and will remain so in the Interim Budget 2024-25. The central assistance allocation to Delhi in the 2024-25 budget estimate is Rs 951 crore, which is the same as in the previous budget of 2023-24. It is to fund the Delhi government’s schemes.

Delhi Finance Minister and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Atish claimed that the budget is yet another proof that the BJP is leading a government of empty promises. She also said the capital has enjoyed “stepmother” treatment. “If Delhi is to get its due share of central taxes (which Delhiites pay in the form of income tax), then the city should get Rs 15,000 crore from the Centre. But only Rs 1,000 crore has been allocated. Like every time, we have been subjected to stepmother The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) did not get a single penny,” she told PTI-Video.

“The government has provided central assistance of Rs 15,000-Rs 16,000 crore to urban local bodies but has not yet allocated funds for MCD. They have no money to give to the Delhi government or MCD,” Atish said. Referring to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s announcement of the Center’s decision to increase the target for creation of ‘Lakhpati Didis’ from Rs 2 crore to Rs 3 crore, the AAP leader said at this time “women are worried about atta, dal and buying LPG Cylinder, this is a big joke, they will become Lakhpatis”.

“Where are the job and business opportunities for women?” she asked. The ‘Lakhpati Didi’ program aims to train women in Self-Help Groups (SHGs) to enable them to earn a sustainable income of at least Rs 1 lakh per annum.

Slamming the Centre, Atish said: “I want to ask the Center and the BJP to stop misbehaving. The entire country has seen that in the past 10 years, you have done nothing to curb price rise, unemployment and achieve economic growth. “This budget once again proves that the (Narendra) Modi government is actually a jumlewali government (a government of empty promises). There is no reduction in the prices of LPG cylinders and income tax slabs. There is nothing to create employment opportunities. A There is no GST relief on food items such as tah and pulses,” she added. The AAP leader welcomed the increase in the defense budget for 2024-25 to Rs 621 crore from Rs 594 crore last year.

She said the armed forces should have access to the best facilities but stressed that the allocated funds should reach them. “We’ve seen how one jawan has questioned the quality of the food being served to them. The food quality hasn’t improved, but the jawan has lost his job. We hope the brave men and women who defend our borders actually get access to these funds,” she added.

In Delhi’s interim budget, Rs 2 crore has also been allocated as enhanced compensation to the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. As in the previous year’s budget, the allocation for the Union Territory Disaster Relief Fund was Rs 15 crore, and central assistance of Rs 200 crore was provided for the external assistance project (Chandrawal Water Treatment Plant).

“They talk about Viksit Bharat but they have not increased allocations for health and education. Education and healthcare account for only 2.51% and 1.98% of the total budget. It has been four years since the NEP (National Education Policy) was announced and its ambitious The target is to ensure that 6% of GDP is allocated to education, but there has been little progress so far,” Atishi said. Delhi Congress president Arvind Singh Lovely called the interim budget “disappointing”, saying it ignored issues such as inflation and unemployment.

“It is disappointing that the budget before the Lok Sabha elections neglected job creation, small and medium industrialists and traders, factory owners, women, youth, workers and farmers. They are not included in the government’s plans,” he said. Lovely claimed that the Treasury Department had announced reductions in funding for education, agriculture, health and public welfare.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from associated news agency – PTI)