Jharkhand supplementary budget: The Jharkhand Assembly on Thursday (December 12) passed the second supplementary budget of Rs 11,697.45 crore for the 2024-25 fiscal year. Following the budget's passage, Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato adjourned the four-day session of the assembly sine die.
Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore tabled the second supplementary budget, with the largest allocation of Rs 6,390.55 crore directed to the Women, Child Development, and Social Security Department. This significant funding aims to enhance the government's flagship initiative, the Maiyan Samman Yojana.
Under this scheme, the state initially offered Rs 1,000 per month to women aged 18 to 50 years, which has now been increased to Rs 2,500 per month starting December.
BJP on supplementary budget
Participating in the debate on the supplementary budget, BJP leader Satyandra Nath Tiwary acknowledged his party's appreciation for the initiative but expressed dissatisfaction with the introduction of certain criteria after the elections.
"During the election, the ruling party promised to give the benefit of Maiyan Samman to all women, but now it brought certain qualifying criteria. I don’t think even one per cent of the women will be able to qualify the criteria," he said.
Tiwary said that those who work for Krishi Sakhi and Pashu Mitra schemes get only Rs 1,500 remuneration. "Now, they are leaving their jobs and enrolling themselves in Maiyan Samman scheme. They are saying if they can get Rs 2,500 without any work, why will they work for Rs 1,500," he said.
Another BJP legislator Naveen Jaiswal alleged that the government has slashed the budget for agriculture, higher education, health and tribal welfare to fund Maiya Samman Yojana.
As many as ten members participated in the debate on the supplementary budget.
Supplementary budget passed through voice vote
Replying to them, the finance minister said that no department has surrendered funds. "Jharkhand saw two consecutive elections —parliamentary and assembly, due to which around five months of the fiscal went under model code of conduct. This has impacted the revenue expenditure and generation. Many departments said that they would not be able to spend the allocated budget for 2024-25," he said.
Kishore said that fulfilling people’s aspirations is the government's duty.
Following the debate, the supplementary budget was approved through a voice vote. The Speaker then adjourned the House sine die, remarking that the first session of the sixth Jharkhand Assembly had been productive.
(With PTI inputs)
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