Gujarat Budget 2023: Outlay of Rs 3.01 lakh cr, hike in insurance limit under PM Jan Arogya scheme | Key announcements

Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai on Friday presented his third successive budget. It is the first budget of the state since Assembly elections in which the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) retained power and chief minister Bhupendra Patel was elected for a second term. Desai proposed a slew of schemes and projects during the session, some of which were part of the promises made by the BJP in its manifesto before the 2022 elections.

Desai said that the state government will spend Rs 1,066 crore to provide houses to around 1 lakh people under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Urban) during the next year.

Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana is an initiative by the government of India in which affordable housing will be provided to the urban poor.

The Gujarat government will provide two cooking gas cylinders free of cost every year to 39 lakh families under the Ujjwala Yojana, Desai said.

Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana was launched by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi in 2016 to distribute 50 million LPG connections to women of Below Poverty Line (BPL) families.

The Gujarat government has proposed to double annual insurance limit to Rs 10 lakh under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya-MA scheme for eligible families.

The current limit for the same is Rs 5 lakh.

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is the largest health assurance scheme which aims at providing a health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization to over 10.74 crores poor and vulnerable families.

Desai has announced reduction of VAT on PNG and CNG by 10 percent. PNG, CNG VAT has been reduced from 15 percent to 5 percent.

Gujarat's Finance Minister also announced that five highways will be developed in Gujarat as high-speed corridors at a cost of Rs 1,500 crore. The government also plans to set up sports complexes in each district and taluka of state. For development of infrastructure facilities in next five years, Desai said that the government will spend around Rs 5 lakh crore.