Chhattisgarh to give ₹2,500 monthly unemployment allowance

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RAIPUR, Chhattisgarh: The Government of Chhattisgarh tabled the annual budget worth ₹1,21,500 crore for the year 2023-24 on Monday, March 5. The new budget includes a provision for providing ₹2,500 per month as unemployment allowances to educated and unemployed youth in the state.

The government has earmarked ₹250 crore for the monthly unemployment benefit scheme.

The Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh Bhupesh Baghel, also in charge of the finance portfolio, spoke in the assembly and said, “A new scheme to give allowance to the unemployed will be launched. Under the scheme, unemployed youth aged 18 to 35 years who passed class 12, and with an annual family income of less than ₹2.50 lakh, will be given an allowance of ₹2,500 per month.”

The government is also planning to raise the monthly pension allowance provided to the destitute, disabled, elderly, widows, and abandoned women under the Social Security Pension Scheme. The pension amount has been raised from ₹350 to ₹500.

The government has earmarked ₹6,800 crore to provide input subsidies under the Rajiv Gandhi Kisan Nyay Yojana. Input subsidy for major Kharif crops, including rice, is provided under the scheme, which is being hailed as a masterstroke by the Congress party ahead of the state assembly elections earlier later this year.

The budget document also proposes four new medical colleges in Manendragarh, Janjgir Champa, Geedam and Kabirdham districts. Additionally, 101 new Swami Atmanand English medium schools, costing ₹870 crore to the government, have also been proposed.

The government is also planning to increase the salary of the Anganwadi workers and sahayikas (assistants) from ₹6,500 to ₹10,000 and ₹3,250 to ₹5,000, respectively. Salaries of mini-Anganwadi workers will also be increased to ₹7,500 from ₹4,500. Similar increments have been proposed in the state budget for village Kotwars (based on the size of the area where they serve), gram patels, home guard personnel, cooks under the mid-day meal scheme and sanitation workers in government schools.

Also, ₹38 cr has been set aside by the government for Kany Vivah Yojana, and ₹25 cr has been earmarked for setting up a new thermal power plant in Korba west.

The budget is being termed the ‘Chhattisgarh model’. The Chief Minister also highlighted that no new tax is being introduced in the budget.