Loosening purse strings, strategically
Business Standard|July 01, 2024
The Mahayuti govt in Maharashtra has treaded a populist path in the FY25 Budget in a bid to woo voters ahead of the Assembly polls but has shown fiscal prudence.
INDIVJAL DHASMANA
Loosening purse strings, strategically

The Mahayuti government in Maharashtra last week unveiled its 202425 full Budget laden with targeted giveaways, aiming to reclaim voter loyalty lost to the Opposition in the recently held general elections. However, this was tempered with a vigilant eye on fiscal discipline. The government called it the supplementary Budget for FY25. The Interim Budget for FY25 had already been presented in February.

Taking a cue from the CM Ladli Behna Yojana, which garnered favourable responses in Madhya Pradesh's Assembly elections last year, the Eknath Shinde government introduced the CM Ladki Bahin Yojana. This new initiative pledges ₹1,500 per month to women aged 21-60 years, adding an annual burden of ₹46,000 crore to the state's finances.

The Budget, presented last Friday, also includes provisions such as three free cooking gas cylinders per family per year, waiving electricity dues for farmers, and a ₹10,000 stipend for youth skill training. These measures, coupled with adjustments in other heads, are projected to push revenue expenditure to ₹5.19 trillion, a 2.16 per cent increase from the Interim Budget's ₹5.08 trillion.

This story is from the July 01, 2024 edition of Business Standard.

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This story is from the July 01, 2024 edition of Business Standard.

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