IANS/New Delhi
Finance Minister Arun Jaitley yesterday presented Delhi’s Rs367.76bn budget for fiscal 2014-15 in parliament, proposing a new specialty hospital and 100 ambulances for accident victims, while keeping tax rates unchanged.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dismissed the budget as “betrayal” of the people of Delhi, saying that BJP cannot be credited with not introducing fresh taxes as under President’s rule, no new tax is levied when the budget is presented in parliament.
The Congress called the budget “directionless.” The budget also proposes Rs2.6bn power subsidy for small consumers, ranging from Rs0.80-Rs1.20 per unit, four new sewage treatment plants, 50 dialysis centres and Rs24bn for education.
Of the total outlay, the maximum amount - Rs37.02bn - was set aside for the transport sector which was followed by the allocation of Rs27.24bn for the health sector.
The task, normally carried out in the assembly, had to be taken up by the union finance minister as the state is under president’s rule.
Jaitley said the city-state will also get community toilets for slum dwellers, more night shelters and low-floor buses.
“No new taxes have been levied in this budget,” he said.
Turning to specific proposals, he said: “Considering the increased number of accident and trauma cases, 110 mobile ambulances will be deployed.”
In the interim budget presented by the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government, the state was allotted an outlay of Rs327.32bn. The central assistance has been kept at Rs34.9bn, which is Rs6.82bn lower than the previous year’s Rs10.31bn.
In the budget presented yesterday, Rs12.49bn was sanctioned for the water sector.
The finance minister’s budget proposals on power subsidy come against the backdrop of a revision of tariff announced by the regulator the day before.
It allowed a tariff hike of 15 paise on consumption between 201 and 400 units, 50 paise between 401 units and 800 units, Rs1.10 between 801 and 1,200 units and Rs1.75 for consumption beyond 1,201 units.
At the same time, the Delhi Electricity Regulatory Commission scrapped a levy imposed on consumers, called the power purchase adjustment cost (PPAC) fixed at 6%-8% for all consumers, to bring down the actual tariff for small consumers.
For housing and urban development sector, Delhi has been allotted Rs21.54bn out of which Rs7.11bn has been earmarked for essential services like piped water and sewerage system in unauthorised colonies.