Gehlot present budget for common man

Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot present Budget 2011-12 to bats for Common Man But Hikes Land Prices, Imposes Power Cess for other people. In tune with the aam aadmi image he had cultivated all these years, chief minister Ashok Gehlot’s third Budget, presented on Wednesday, had all the hallmarks of a populist exercise. The chief minister, who holds the finance portfolio, announced a slew of tax cuts, sops and social welfare measures targeted at the common man but the middle class consumers were at the receiving end of some harsh proposals.
To provide some relief to the common man reeling under high inflation, Gehlot proposed to bring down Valued Added Tax (VAT) on wheat, rice and pulses to zero. The Budget has imposed an urban cess of 5 paise per unit of power on consumers in municipal areas consuming more than 100 units a month. Besides, the proposal to hike district level committee (DLC) rates by 15% will pinch home buyers as this will result in land prices becoming costlier. Experts say as the gap between the DLC and market rates narrows, there is less scope for black money transaction. People planning to buy cars and automobiles will also have to shell out more. Gehlot proposed a ‘green tax’ on all old and new vehicles. Out of the Rs 28,461 crore plan outlay for 2011-12, energy sector received the lion’s share of 42.4%, while social and community services got 30%. The budget earmarked Rs 12,067 crore for power sector and aims to achieve a generation capacity of 1,860 MW. Gehlot said another 810 MW is expected from the private sector during the new financial year. Removing tax on agriculture implements like tractors and harvestors, kerosene distributed under PDS, and better modes of transportation are poised to give boost to agriculture production.
Rajasthan Budget 2011-12 highlights