Kailash Gahlot announces budget for ‘clean, modern Delhi’

Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot at the annual budget session on March 22, presented a nine-point action plan to achieve a ‘clean, beautiful and modern Delhi’ as the city gears up to host the G-20 summit in September.

Delhi Finance Minister Kailash Gahlot on Wednesday presented the annual budget to create a ‘clean, beautiful and modern Delhi’ and a nine-point action plan to achieve it as the city gears up to host the G-20 summit later this year.

This was the first time since 2015 that someone other than former Deputy CM and Finance Minister Manish Sisodia presented the annual budget. Mr. Gahlot was given the Finance portfolio after Mr. Sisodia resigned from the Cabinet following his arrest in the alleged excise policy scam by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

In his maiden, 2.27-hour-long speech, the Finance Minister referred to Mr. Sisodia, lodged in Tihar jail, as his “elder brother”. Drawing a parallel from the Hindu epic Ramayana, Mr. Gahlot said he has been working like Bharat in the absence of Lord Ram when he was sentenced to “vanvaas [exile]”.

Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said the budget has something for everyone and the ₹21,000 crore allocated for capital works will give a huge thrust to the city’s infrastructure. He also said that the AAP government will continue providing free education, water, power and healthcare services to its citizens.

Of the ₹78,800 crore budget outlay, ₹56,983 has been allotted for revenue expenditure (salaries, welfare schemes, etc.) and ₹21,817 crore for capital expenditure (to build roads, flyovers, schools etc.).

While Mr. Gahlot said the share of capital expenditure in the budget has “risen” to 27.68%, the allocation under this category seems to have reduced year-on-year. Capital expenditure was 29.17% (₹22,113 crore) of the 2022-23 budget.