New Delhi, Mar 24 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Tuesday presented a Rs 1.037 lakh crore budget for FY27, announcing several welfare schemes, including free diagnostic tests for newborn babies, free bicycles to 1.3 lakh girl students and laptops for meritorious students, and a new semiconductor policy, besides an 'emergency operation centre' for disaster management.

Presenting the budget for the second time in the Delhi Assembly, Gupta, who also holds the finance portfolio, called it a "Green Budget", pointing out that 21 per cent of the total appropriations are allocated to environmental protection initiatives.

For the next financial year, the government has earmarked Rs 260 crore to provide a free LPG cylinder each on Holi and Diwali to ration card-holding families --- a pre-poll promise of the BJP. The chief minister announced Rs 1,352 crore for developing dust-free roads, including end-to-end recarpeting of 750 km of roads across the city.

In her 116-minute speech, the chief minister highlighted several measures taken by the BJP government in the last year.

She said that the national capital has been progressing rapidly under a triple-engine government, highlighting that the city's per capita income is the third-highest in the country.

The government has earmarked Rs 19,326 crore for the education sector -- 18 per cent share of the total budget, followed by the health sector (Rs 13,034 crore), transport (Rs 12,613 crore), urban development (Rs 11,572 crore), social welfare (Rs 10,537 crore) and water supply (Rs 9,000 crore).

The chief minister also announced a slew of measures for women and assured that 'Mahila Samriddhi Yojna', a pre-poll promise of the ruling BJP, will soon be implemented with an outlay of Rs 5,110 crore.

Under the scheme, eligible women will be given Rs 2,500 per month, the chief minister said, adding that a portal for registration will be launched soon. The government will also set up 'Rani Haat' for women to link their skills with markets.

The Delhi government will provide 1,100 electric auto-rickshaw permits to women and transgender persons under a scheme aimed at promoting self-reliance, Gupta announced.

Meanwhile, Opposition AAP MLAs boycotted the budget presentation over suspension of four party legislators, prompting Speaker Vijender Gupta to criticise their decision.

The chief minister said her government will set up an 'Emergency Operation Centre' to deal with any disaster.

The budget estimates tax revenue of Rs 74,000 crore, while an allocation of Rs 11,666 crore has been made for the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).

Pointing out the problem faced by girls in commuting to schools, Gupta announced an allocation of Rs 90 crore in the budget for gifting bicycles to 1.30 lakh Class IX girl students of Delhi government schools.

During her budget speech, the chief minister also turned poetic as she said --- "Delhi ki raho me phirse ujala chhane laga hai...mehnat ka har deep ab jagmagane lga hai...nai umeedo ke sang kadam badaye hai...har adhure sapne ko phirse hum sajaye hai".

Highlighting the benefits of the Ayushman Bharat Health scheme, she announced that it will also cover transgender individuals and announced Rs 202 crore for the scheme.

She said the government was motivated to treat healthcare as "Upchar" (treatment), not as "Upkar" (favour), and earmarked Rs 12,645 crore for various projects and initiatives.

The government will open 750 new Ayushman Arogya Mandir and has allocated Rs 1,500 crore for it.

Gupta announced a new scheme ANMOL (Advanced Newborn Monitoring and Optimal Lifecare) for 56 free diagnostic tests of newborn babies in the city.

A huge allocation of Rs 19,148 crore was made for the education sector in the budget, including Rs 475 crore for construction and extension of school buildings.

She also said the Delhi government will open a Sainik School and demanded that the Centre set up 10 Kendriya Vidyalayas in the national capital.

The chief minister announced the conversion of Delhi's entire public transport bus fleet to electric buses by 2029, allocating Rs 8,374 crore for the transport sector.

She also announced that the Delhi government will introduce a semiconductor policy and develop infrastructure to support the industry's growth in the city.

In the infrastructure sector, Rs 5,921 crore has been earmarked for the public works department (PWD), while urban development and shelter projects have been allocated Rs 7,887 crore.

"Our aim is safe roads, climate corridors and flawless connectivity," Gupta said.

The government allocated Rs 3,942 crore for the power department, she said, adding that the government is also working on shifting overhead electricity wires underground with an outlay of Rs 200 crore for this purpose.

The chief minister announced Rs 300 crore for the development of the trans-Yamuna area of the city, while the Delhi Gram Vikas Board has been allocated Rs 787 crore.

The city government will also build an integrated secretariat and residential complex for employees, the CM said in her budget speech.

Citing the Palam fire incident, Gupta said narrow lanes and congested unauthorised colonies make it difficult to douse fires, adding that Delhi's firefighting infrastructure will be strengthened with an allocation of Rs 674 crore.

To tackle water-related issues, Gupta said new water pipeline projects are underway and Rs 9,000 crore has been allocated to the Delhi Jal Board for water and sewage management. PTI VIT SSM SHB AHD VBH SGV MSJ BUN BUN MR