Rajasthan government claims completion of 86% of budgetary announcements

CM Gehlot and his Cabinet reviewed the progress of the State’s schemes and the performance of different departments at a two-day Chintan Shivir

Ahead of the State Assembly election scheduled later this year, the Congress government in Rajasthan on Monday claimed that it had completed 86% of the budgetary announcements, made during the last four years. Financial approval had also been released for 94% of the 2,722 announcements made for all sections of society, it stated.

Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot and his Cabinet colleagues reviewed the progress of the State government’s schemes and the performance of different departments at a two-day Chintan Shivir (brainstorming camp), which started here on Monday. The camp began with a meeting of the Council of Ministers.

Accompanied by teams of senior officers, the Ministers identified the areas of governance which required greater attention and deliberated on action plans for the effective implementation of the schemes. The Chintan Shivir was informed that the work on 77% of the 501 promises made in the Congress’ manifesto for the 2018 Assembly election, had been completed.

Food & Civil Supplies Minister Pratap Singh Khachariyawas told reporters that the highest number of budgetary announcements had been made during the last four years of the Congress rule. “The time has come to compare the performance of the governments at the Centre and in the States and analyse [as to] how they implement the budgetary announcements,” he said.

Mr. Khachariyawas said the State government would bring the Right to Health Bill in the upcoming Budget Session of the Assembly. The Chief Minister’s move to present a separate agriculture budget in 2022-23 had turned out to be “immensely successful” with the formation of 11 missions, devoted to different segments of farming, he said.

Following the enactment of a legislation last year with strict provisions against cheating, paper leak and the use of unfair means in competitive examinations, the State government intends to bring another Bill to regulate the functioning of coaching institutes, private colleges and universities. Mr. Khachariyawas said the government was working with a policy of “zero tolerance” on this front.