New Delhi [India], January 26 : The Delhi Assembly on Friday announced that the Budget Session will take place from February 15 to 20.
The session will see Finance Minister Atishi presenting the budget on February 16. The date for the presentation of the budget was officially conveyed by the Delhi government, which also sent the required documents to Lt Governor VK Saxena.
Earlier, former Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot proposed a budget of Rs 78,800 crore for the fiscal year 2023-24.
The budget marked an increase compared to the Rs 30,940 crore expenditure in 2014-15 and was 8.69 per cent higher than the revised estimates for the preceding year.
An aspect of the 2023-24 budget was the allocation of Rs 21,817 crore for capital expenditure, marking an increase of 27.68 per cent from previous years. This capital expenditure was earmarked for transformative projects aimed at turning Delhi into a 'clean, beautiful, and modern city.'
The proposed initiatives include a massive effort to upgrade and beautify 1,400 kilometres of the entire PWD road network, with an estimated expenditure of nearly Rs 20,000 crore over ten years.
Additionally, plans in 2023-24 include the construction of 26 new flyovers and three double-decker flyovers in collaboration with DMRC, fostering both road and metro connectivity.
In a move towards sustainable transportation, the previous year's budget outlined a plan to introduce 1,600 new zero-emission electric buses in the coming year, with a vision to induct a total of 8,280 electric buses (80 per cent of the fleet) by 2025, requiring a financial outlay of Rs 28,500 crore in 12 years.
In the 2023-24 Delhi budget, the 'mohalla bus' scheme was proposed to be launched, under which 100 smaller electric buses are to be rolled out initially and eventually scaled up to 2,180 by 2025, at an estimated cost of Rs 1,500 crore.
The previous year's budget also focused on modernising the transport infrastructure in the national capital, with three state-of-the-art Inter-State Bus Terminals (Bus Ports) at Sarai Kale Khan, Anand Vihar, and Dwarka, along with other new-age bus terminals and depots.
Seeking to address environmental concerns, the Delhi government also aimed at doubling the number of colonies connected to the sewer network, promising free household sewer connections.
Collaborating with the MCD, the government pledged financial assistance to eliminate three garbage mountains by December 2024.
With allocations of Rs 16,575 crore (21 per cent) for education and Rs 9,742 crore (12 per cent) for health in the 2023-24 budget.
Notable proposals included providing new tablets to all teachers and expanding healthcare facilities, such as increasing free test facilities at Mohalla Clinics from 250 to 450.
As Delhi awaits the unveiling of the 2024-25 budget, the government's commitment to transformative and sustainable initiatives remains at the forefront of its agenda, aiming to create a brighter and more modern future for the capital city.
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