Gandhinagar, Feb 20 (PTI) The Gujarat government's Budget for financial year 2025-26 on Thursday offered a tax relief of Rs 148 crore by reducing the stamp duty on mortgage deeds and the motor vehicle tax on Electric Vehicles (EVs).

Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai presented the Rs 3.70 lakh crore budget in the legislative assembly here without proposing any new tax.

Among other things, it proposed to set up the `Gujarat Reforms Commission' to bring in necessary changes in administrative procedures and integrate new technologies.

The budget outlay of Rs 3,70,250 crore was an increase of Rs 37,785 crore or 11.3 per cent over the previous fiscal, Desai said.

Reduction of stamp duty on mortgage deeds, and that of vehicle tax on EVs would amount to tax relief of Rs 148 crore, he said.

Announcing a host of new schemes and projects, Desai said the budget was based on five pillars -- social security, human resource development, infrastructure development, green growth and development of economic activities.

The state government has prepared a roadmap for 'Viksit Gujarat 2047' to realize Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of 'Viksit Bharat' by 2047, the minister said.

"For this, I propose to create a Rs 50,000 crore Viksit Gujarat Fund over the next five years. I propose an allocation of Rs 5,000 crore in this budget (for the fund)," he said.

Six "growth hubs", including the Surat Economic Region, will be developed, he said. For this, regional economic plans are being developed for Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Rajkot, Coastal Saurashtra region and Kutch to facilitate a "comprehensive and balanced economic development of the state," the minister added.

To tap the potential of the services sector, a new Commissionerate of Services will be set up, Desai announced.

A master plan to optimize water storage of rivers in the state and maximize groundwater recharge will be developed on the basis of techno-feasibility study across 185 river basins, he said.

Under the 'Garvi Gujarat High Speed Corridor' project, 12 new high-speed corridors of 1,367 kilometres will be developed.

Two greenfield expressways -- the 'Namo Shakti Expressway' connecting Banaskantha to Saurashtra's coastal areas and the 'Somnath-Dwarka Expressway' from Ahmedabad to Rajkot -- will be constructed with extension to pilgrimage centres including Dwarka, Somnath and Porbandar.

The expansion of airports at Surat, Vadodara, Bhavnagar and Porbandar will be undertaken while a greenfield airport will be developed at Dahod, the finance minister said. PTI PJT PD GK BNM KRK

Tax relief on mortgage deeds and electric vehicles announced, reducing stamp duty and motor vehicle tax in state budget The state budget reduces stamp duty on mortgage deeds and motor vehicle tax on electric vehicles as targeted tax relief, proposes a Gujarat Reforms Commission to reform administrative procedures and integrate technology, and establishes a multi-year Viksit Gujarat Fund with an initial budget allocation to finance regional growth hubs, transport corridors, water resource planning and airport infrastructure under a five-pillar development strategy.