AAP govt presents Rs 53,000 cr Budget for 2018-19

New Delhi, March 22

The AAP government on Thursday presented its Rs 53,000 crore Budget for 2018-19 in the Assembly, which laid emphasis on environment, health, education and water.

Presenting the Budget, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia said the Budget follows “trickle up” economics aiming to benefit poor and middle-class people in Delhi.

“The Budget estimates for 2018-19 are pegged at Rs 53,000 crore which is 19.45 per cent more than the revised Budget estimates of Rs 44,370 crore for the previous financial year,” Sisodia said.

This is the first “Green Budget” of the government for effective containment of pollution in the city, the Deputy CM said in the Budget session of the Assembly.

“We are going to thread 26 programmes and schemes of Transport, Power, Environment and PWD for devising a unified system of pollution control, bringing down levels of different pollutants,” he said.

The government has also proposed to set aside Rs 1000 crore for repair and maintenance of smaller roads owned by the municipal corporations of the city, he said.

26% allocation for education sector

The Delhi government allocated Rs 13,9997 crore for the education sector, which is 26 per cent of the total Budget.

In the Budget for the financial year 2017-2018, 23.5 per cent of the total Budget amount was allocated for the education sector.

Installation of CCTV cameras in school buildings, self-defence training for girl students, promotion of sports in schools and setting up of a world-class skill centre are among the big-ticket promises made by the AAP government in today’s Budget proposal.

Sisodia said Rs 175 crore will be allocated for installation of CCTV cameras in school buildings. A total of 1.2 lakh cameras will be installed.

“The government has allocated Rs 10 crore for self-defence training of girl students in Delhi and Rs 20 crore has been allocated for promotion of sports in schools,” he said, and also announced allocation of Rs 315 crore for setting up a world-class skill centre in the national capital to train the youth in getting jobs.

12.7% allocation for health

The AAP government allocated Rs 6,729 crore for the health sector in the Budget, which is 12.7 per cent of the total.

The allocation is up from 12 per cent in 2017-18, Sisodia told the Assembly.

He said Rs 403 crore had been allocated for Mohalla Clinics and Polyclinics. Also, mobile van clinics were to be established with Rs 15 crore, he said. Agencies