The Hindu : Front Page : Delhi budget proposes all-round relief

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Tuesday, Apr 17, 2007
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Delhi budget proposes all-round relief

Staff Reporter

Higher pension for senior citizens, monthly income for poor widows... .

"I PROPOSE": Delhi Finance Minister A. K.Walia presenting the budget for 2007-08 in the State Assembly on Monday. - PHOTO: SANDEEP SAXENA

NEW DELHI: Provision of "maximum relief'' for senior citizens, women, girls and socially disadvantaged sections of society along with new schemes for improving the health, education, water, power, transport and infrastructure sectors are some of the highlights of Budget-2007/08 for Delhi presented by Finance Minister A. K. Walia in the State Assembly on Monday.

The budget proposes enhancement of the monthly pension of senior citizens from Rs. 400 to 600 and introduction of a pension for widows below poverty line that would put Rs. 600 in their hands every month.

A new scheme for promoting higher education among girls under which the Government would put Rs. 5,000 in the bank account of each Class XII student that would become available to her on graduation has also been proposed.

Stating that social measures have been enhanced or introduced through the budget, which is not part of any "election agenda'', Dr. Walia said they would benefit lakhs of people who look up to the Government for help.

The Government also proposes to create a Directorate for Women and Child Development to focus exclusively on all schemes for welfare of women and children in order to increase their reach and effectiveness, he added.

The Delhi Government has made "gender budget'' a part of the budget documents and for 2007-08 a sum of Rs. 181 crore has been proposed exclusively for women's welfare.

To consolidate and strengthen the action for women's welfare, 45 Gender Resource Centres would also be set up during the year.

Dr. Walia said the proposed increase in old-age monthly pension would benefit about 1.75 lakh people who are availing themselves of the scheme right now.

One Home for the Aged would be provided in each of Delhi's nine districts, he added.

In the field of education, the Minister said, a new Ambedkar University, a University of Science and Technology, a Science and Technology Park and a Nano-Technology Centre would be set up. According to him, 120,000 students belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and minorities would also benefit as the entitlement limit of family income per annum has been increased from Rs. 48,000 to Rs. 1 lakh to enable more people to avail themselves of the benefits under the educational schemes.

The announcement of so many schemes for the disadvantaged sections of society prompted a member to exclaim that had these been announced last year, the Congress would not have lost the Municipal Corporation of Delhi elections!

The only item that would become costlier in the wake of the budget is tobacco, or more commonly cigarettes. Due to a gradual reduction in the Central Sales Tax from 4 per cent to 3 per cent, the Delhi Government has imposed a 12.5 per cent Value Added Tax to compensate for the loss in Central Sales Tax.

At the same time, the Delhi Government has exempted tricycles meant for people with disability, bio-fertilisers, micro-nutrients, plant growth promoters, kerosene stoves, lanterns, petromax and blood filers used for treatment of thalassaemia patients from VAT thereby making them cheaper.

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