Raipur, Mar 3 (PTI) The Chhattisgarh government on Monday decided to reduce Value Added Tax (VAT) on petrol from April 1 and proposed substantial funding for welfare schemes related to food security, women, agriculture as it presented a Rs 1,65,000-crore budget for the fiscal 2025-26.

The government has decided to cut VAT on petrol from April 1 which will lower the prices of the fuel by Re 1 per litre, Finance Minister OP Choudhary announced while presenting the budget in the assembly.

A fund will be created for future liabilities of pension of government employees, while a sum of Rs 10,000 crore will be allocated boosting farm prosperity, he said.

Cess on stamp duty on immovable property transactions will be removed, while a survey will be undertaken for inter-linking key rivers in the state, Choudhary maintained.

Choudhary pointed out that the next fiscal's budget is based on the theme of 'GATI', focusing on Good Governance, Accelerating Infrastructure, Technology and Industrial Growth.

He said while the previous year's budget laid a strong foundation for inclusive development, the current one has presented the next step in that growth journey.

While the previous budget focused on the theme of GYAN (Gareeb, Yuva, Annadata and Nari), this year's budget aims to drive progress under the theme of GYAN ke liye "GATI" (Good Governance, Accelerating Infrastructure, Technology, Industrial Growth) to build on growth momentum and continue the journey towards achieving goals for 2030 as part of 'Amrit Kaal Vision 2047', he noted.

The BJP government is committed to promote Ease of Doing Business and has set a target of implementing 216 reforms in 20 departments in the first phase. The aim of drawing a Business Reform Action Plan (BRAP) was to bring transparency in the administrative system and ease the process by simplifying rules, he said.

Highlighting the new initiatives, the minister said Mukhyamantri Mobile Tower Scheme will be launched to provide cellphone connectivity in remote areas and fund will be allocated under Mukhyamantri Parivahan Yojana to provide transport services from gram panchayat to block and district level in areas where public transport is not available due to low population density.

He said, "500 new cooperative societies will be formed, while a National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) will be established in the state. Also, sickle cell screening centres will be established in all development blocks in the first phase, and a survey will be conducted for interlinking of Mahanadi-Indravati and Sikasar-Kodar rivers." Provision has been made to promote UPI (digital payments) in all gram panchayats, he added.

A major highlight of the Budget is the allocation of Rs 10,000 crore for the Krishak Unnati Yojana, aimed at boosting agricultural prosperity, alongside the allocation of Rs 8,500 crore for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Gramin) to upgrade rural housing, he said.

Welfare schemes such as Mahatari Vandan Yojana and Mukhyamantri Khadyann Sahayata Yojana have also received substantial funding of Rs 5,500 crore and Rs 4,500 crore, respectively, reinforcing the government's dedication to empowering women and ensuring food security, Choudhary noted.

Additionally, Rs 3,500 crore has been set aside to provide free electricity for agricultural pumps of up to 5 HP, easing financial burden on farmers.

Besides, Rs 2,000 crore has been allocated for construction of new roads under the Public Works Department (PWD). Rural connectivity will be enhanced with Rs 845 crore sanctioned for village roads under the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), and Rs 500 crore earmarked to connect Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) habitations through the PM-JANMAN Sadak Nirman Yojana, he said.

Recognizing the challenges faced by small traders and the need to reduce the compliance burden, the government has decided to increase the limit for e-way bills from Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 Lakh, Choudhary said.

The government will support small traders by waiving pending old (more than 10 years) VAT liabilities up to Rs 25,000 which will help more than 40,000 traders and reduce more than 62,000 litigation cases, he said.

The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) at current price is projected to increase from Rs 5,67,880 crore in 2024-25 to Rs 6,35,918 crore in 2025-26 with a 12 per cent growth, the minister said.

The per capita income in the financial year 2024-25 is expected to reach Rs 1,62,870 with growth of 9.37 per cent, he said.

The government's efforts to increase the revenue is estimated to result in 11 per cent increase of state's own revenue for the fiscal 2025-26 without imposing new tax or increase in existing tax rates, he said.

Capital expenditure of the state for FY 2025-26 is estimated to be Rs 26,341 crore, which is 16 per cent of total budget.

In FY 2025-26, the gross fiscal deficit is estimated to be Rs 22,900 crore (including Rs 4,000 crore of special assistance for capital expenditure by Government of India). Hence, the net fiscal deficit of the state is estimated to be Rs 18,900 crore, which is 2.97 per cent of GSDP. This is within the limit of 3 per cent set in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act, he said.

Total revenue surplus estimated in the year 2025-26 is Rs 2,804 crore.

Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai hailed the budget, saying it will shape the state's golden future and take every section of society to new heights of development, while the Opposition termed it as "disappointing" with no new provisions. PTI TKP ARU RSY

VAT reduction on petrol to lower fuel prices, alongside stamp duty cess removal and targeted tax relief for small traders. The budget implements a VAT reduction on petrol from April 1 and removes the cess on stamp duty for immovable property transactions. It creates a fund for future pension liabilities, increases the e way bill threshold, and waives specified old VAT liabilities for small traders. Significant appropriations are allocated to agricultural prosperity, rural housing, food security, women's welfare, free electricity for small agricultural pumps, and rural connectivity. Fiscal projections include GSDP and per capita income growth, capital expenditure plans, and deficits aligned with the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management limit.