Budget 2022-23: Education gets a lion’s share, energy the largest hike
Education sector in Bihar, with an allocation of ₹39,191.87 crore for fiscal 2022-23, received the largest share of the state’s budget of over ₹2.37 lakh crore for the next financial year, which was presented in the assembly by deputy chief minister and finance minister Tarkishore Prasad on Monday.
Education sector in Bihar, with an allocation of ₹39,191.87 crore for fiscal 2022-23, received the largest share of the state’s budget of over ₹2.37 lakh crore for the next financial year, which was presented in the assembly by deputy chief minister and finance minister Tarkishore Prasad on Monday.
Compared to current fiscal, the education department’s allocation has been hiked by 3%, in line with the plan of imparting quality teaching to the students, from elementary to the higher secondary levels, said a senior official of the finance department.
Health ( ₹16,134.39 crore), rural development (Rs15,456.47crore), home ( ₹14,372.76 crore) and energy ( ₹11,475.97 crore) are other prominent departments which have got a big pie in the budgetary allocation for the next fiscal.
Prasad said the education department’s budget had to be increased in view the ongoing recruitment of nearly 42,000 teachers and proposed appointment of 60,000 teachers in the coming fiscal. “Other incentives to further curtail the drop-out rate will continue, besides the schemes to promote education among the girl child,” he said.
In the current fiscal, the education department has been earmarked ₹38,035.93 crore, which is around 16.92% of the annual budget.
The health department, which emerged as a crucial sector to help people fight the Covid-19 pandemic, has seen a hike of about 21% in annual allocation, which has gone up from ₹13264.87 crore in 2021-22 to ₹16134.39 crore in 2022-23.
The proposed annual budget has slightly curtailed the allocation for the rural development department, a sector key to powering growth in villages. “There has been a marginal cut, of ₹1,379.20 crore, in the department’s budget, against the last budgetary allocation,” said an official.
In terms of percentage hike in allocation, energy department has gained the most, a hike of nearly 34%. A total of ₹11,475.97 crore has been earmarked for the department for fiscal 2022-23 against the current fiscal allocation of ₹8,560 crore.
“The hike is in line with the state government’s commitment to harness green energy to power the economy. The state government has proposed to set up solar power projects of 200 and 250 megawatt capacity at Kajra and Pirpainti, which were earlier identified for setting up of the thermal power plants,” said an official.