Maharashtra Budget 2023 Highlights: Cash benefit for farmers, financial aid for girls - Top announcements

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde with Deputy CM and State Finance Minister Devendra Fadnavis and State Minister Deepak Kesarkar poses for photos with the State Budget 2023-24 during Budget Session of Maharashtra Assembly, in Mumbai. Pic/Devendra Fadnavis Twitter

The Eknath Shinde-led Maharashtra government on Thursday presented its maiden Budget for 2023-24, in which it proposed Rs 6,000 assistance to farmers and Re 1 crop insurance scheme while also offering relief in professional tax to working women, a 50 per cent discount on ticket fares in state-run buses to women and a new scheme for the girl child.

Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the state Finance Minister, presented a revenue deficit budget of Rs 16,222 crore in the Legislative Assembly with a total outlay of Rs 1,72,000 crore.

Also Read: Maharashtra Budget: Eye on BMC, Shinde-govt budget proposes projects worth thousands of crores

"The first budget of the 'amrit kaal' is based on 'panchamrit' (five) principles," said Fadnavis, whose Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) joined hands with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena faction to form a government in the state in June 2022.

Here are the highlights of the Maharashtra Budget 2023-24:

• The budget proposed the 'Namo Shetkari Mahasanman Nidhi' scheme, under which every farmer in the state will get Rs 6,000 in addition to the Rs 6,000 given under the central scheme (PM Kisan Samman Nidhi) every year.
• A Re 1 crop insurance scheme for farmers was announed. Fadnavis said the government will bear the financial burden of Rs 3,312 crore.
• Farmers in 14 suicide-hit districts will get a cash benefit of Rs 1,800 per year instead of grains distributed through PDS.
• A new scheme - 'Lek Ladki' - will be launched for the empowerment of girls. For yellow and orange ration card holder families, a subsidy of Rs 5,000 will be given after the birth of a girl child, followed by Rs 4,000 in (when she is in) Class 1, Rs 6,000 in Class 6 and Rs 8,000 in Class 11. After completing 18 years of age, a cash amount of Rs 75,000 will be given to the beneficiary girl.
• Women will be given a 50 per cent discount on ticket fares in Maharashtra State Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses.
• The state government announced a waiver in professional tax for women with a monthly salary of up to Rs 25,000. Earlier, women with a salary of more than Rs 10,000 had to pay professional tax.
• The state government also announced 'Shakti Sadan', a new scheme to provide shelter to women in distress, who faced sexual exploitation or are facing domestic violence, will be launched with the assistance of the central government by combining the Swadhar and Ujjwala schemes.
• A woman buyer currently gets a one per cent concession in the stamp duty registration for the purchase of a residential unit, but she cannot sell that unit to a male buyer for 15 years. Now, this condition has been relaxed, Fadnavis said.
• Modi Awas Gharkul Yojana - 10 lakh houses to be built in the next three years for other backward class beneficiaries. Rs 12,000 crores to be made available for this scheme in the next three years.
• For the betterment of working women in Maharashtra, 50 new hostels will be started for working women.
• Fadnavis announced a hike in the remuneration of Anganwadi workers from Rs 8,300 to 10,000 and of Anganwadi helpers from Rs 5,500 from the existing Rs 4,425 a month.
• Of the 337 km metro network planned in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, 46 km of metro lines have already been operational. Additionally, a 50 km metro line will be made operational this year.
• The budget reduced the Value Added Tax (VAT) on aviation turbine fuel (ATF) from 25 per cent to 18 per cent in Mumbai, Pune and Raigad.
• Fadnavis also announced that the Jalyukta Shivar Yojana 2.0 will be started and implemented in 5,000 villages. The first version was implemented in 22,500 villages between 2015 to 2019.