Gujarat Budget proposes tap water to every household by 2022

Water supply through taps and houses for poor are the main thrust areas of the Gujarat government in its budget presented in the State Assembly on Tuesday. The government has earmarked whopping ₹20,000 crore over next three years to ensure that each household gets tap water.

Presenting an over ₹2 lakh crore Budget, the highest in Gujarat’s history, Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who also handles finance portfolio, on Tuesday allocated a lion’s share of the expenditure towards water management in the wake of the State grappling with an acute water crisis due to deficit monsoon last year. Over a dozen districts in the State have been declared drought hit and water through tankers is being supplied in more than 1000 villages in these districts.

“For the first time, the State’s budget has crossed ₹2 lakh crore (₹2,04,815). The government will spend ₹20,000 crore over the next three years to ensure no household in Gujarat is left without tap water. ₹4,500 crore has been allocated this year for this purpose,” Mr. Patel said in his Budget speech in the Assembly.

Additionally, ₹7,157 crore has been allocated for Sauni Yojana and other water supply schemes for irrigation and drinking water. The ambitious Sardar Sarovar Narmada Yojana has been allocated ₹6,595 crore in the budget to complete the remaining canal network to bring water from branch canals to the field channels for irrigation.

For housing for all, 4.8 lakh housing units have been sanctioned and budgetary provision of ₹1248 crore has been made while total provision for urban development and urban housing departments stand at ₹13,149 crore.

For infrastructure in municipal corporation areas and towns with municipalities, 75 flyovers will be built. “Ahmedabad Metro project is under construction and its first phase was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In this year, ₹510 crore provisions is made for metro project,” Mr Patel told the assembly during his budget speech.

Finance Minister also declared a new scheme — Vhali Dikri Yojana — to improve girl childbirth rate, strengthening socio economic status of girls and arrest their dro-out rate from schools and prevent child marriages. Under the scheme, the first and second girl child will be provided assistance of ₹4,000 at the time of enrolment in the school and ₹6,000 at the ninth standard. Moreover, ₹1 lakh assistance will be given for higher education or marriage when they reach the age of 18.

As per the Niti Aayog figures, Gujarat figures among the States with lowest sex ratios in the country. According to data tabled in Lok Sabha recently, Gujarat is among 25 States that have registered an increase in sex ratio at birth. However, the state still lags behind in all-India sex ratio of 929 as per in 2017-16.

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