Raje presents Rs 180.39cr surplus budget

Jaipur, Feb 25 (UNI) Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje today presented a Rs 180.39 crore surplus budget for the fiscal year 2008-2009 announcing tax relaxations and reliefs of Rs 70 crore, and a resolve to neutralise this loss by levying of new taxes and launching of new schemes and programmes involving an investment of Rs 1,760 crore.

The move to implement financial empowerment and financial inclusion schemes for Smart Card holder BPL families, families of SCs, STs, small and marginalise farmers in phased manner, free sarees or lahnga-audani for women earning livelihood for families under NREGS, free health insurance for 10 lakh students studying in government schools in all 33 districts of the state, free school bags and text books for students up to Class VIII level, were the highlights in her fifth and last budget speech in the present term of her government ahead of the assembly elections.

Presenting the Budget in the Rajasthan Assembly here today, Ms Raje dedicated it to common man and announced hike in minimum wage rates for daily wagers, honorarium to Anganbadi workers, Sathins and Assistants and pension of freedom fighters.

Ms Raje also announced schemes, programmes and/or reliefs to almost every stratum of society including, STs, SCs, Women, farmers, students traders and the state government employees.

Presenting the state budget much ahead of the Union Budget for the first time in the history of the state, Ms Raje said that she had done so to show people the strength of the state's economic development and to take maximum possible time to implement the announcements of the budget before the assembly elections which are due to be held by November this year.

Eds rest pick up suitably from the earlier.

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