Maharashtra Assembly: State seeks additional ₹23,149 crore

On the first day of the budget session of the state legislature, the Maharashtra Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government on Monday tabled supplementary demands worth around ₹23,149 crore to be spent in addition to the annual budget.

Supplementary budget refers to additional expenditure required for the year for unforeseen expenses over and above the annual budget.

Among the provisions is to provide an additional fund of ₹1,402 crore for procuring medicines and accessories to deal with Covid-19 pandemic and ₹1,841 crore for implementing rural health mission. Rural health infrastructure is not strong enough which the administration realised while trying to control the pandemic. The state has sought ₹6,895 crore as mandatory expenditure, which is related to establishment cost and the rest ₹16,254 crore for development and welfare schemes including those run by the central government, according to the documents provided by the state legislature. “It has been decided to provide an additional fund of ₹23,149.75 crore to repay the advances taken under special drawing facility,” states a supplementary statement of expenditure 2021-22 tabled by deputy chief minister and finance minister Ajit Pawar in the state assembly on Monday.

Of the total amount, the state has sought a maximum ₹4,959 crore to repay loans under Ujjwal Discom Assurance Yojana (UDAY), a scheme introduced by the Centre to bring out power distribution companies from the financial crisis.

The other notable provision made by the state is to provide ₹3,800 crore for Jal Jeevan Mission that aims to provide safe and adequate drinking water to all households in rural India by 2024. It has also made a provision of ₹1,200 crore to repay interest on loans taken for Nagpur-Mumbai Super Communication Greenfield Expressway. A provision of ₹1,150 crore was also made for implementing Hybrid Annuity scheme to develop roads and bridges.