GANDHINAGAR: In his budget speech, finance minister Kanubhai Desai announced the Gujarat govt’s decision to celebrate landmark events and the birth anniversaries of leaders that are likely to be loaded with political overtures.
Desai said that this year was the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the architect of a unified India. “Programmes that will be organised to mark his birth anniversary will inculcate the youth with the spirit of unity, integration, and patriotism,” Desai said in his budget speech.
Stating that the birth centenary of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was also being celebrated this year, the finance minister said, “PM Narendra Modi has taken forward the legacy of good governance of late A B Vajpayee. I announce the establishment of the Gujarat Administrative Reforms Commission.” The state govt will also organise ‘Amrit Parva’ across all districts to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Indian constitution, whose drafting committee was headed by Dr B R Ambedkar.
“We will celebrate this year as ‘Janjatiya Gaurav Varsh‘ to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Birsa Mundaji, who is the ‘bhagwan’ of the tribal communities. I propose an allocation of Rs 1,100 crore for the holistic development of tribals under the New Gujarat Pattern Scheme,” the finance minister said.
“The budget is a blueprint for systematically implementing PM’s vision of ‘Viksit Bharat’ through public welfare schemes. The budget is a successful effort to make the lives of Gujarat’s citizens more comfortable, prosperous, and fulfilling,” CM Bhupendra Patel said.
Amit Chavda, leader of the Congress legislature party in the assembly, said, “Nothing new has been announced in the budget. No announcements have been made to boost employment or reduce prices.”