The BJP state government in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday presented its budget worth Rs 3.14 lakh crore for the 2023-24 financial year, with no new taxes to be levied on the people.

State Finance Minister Jagdish Devra became the first Finance Minister of MP to present a paperless budget in the ongoing Budget Session of the State Assembly.

Devra said that the government has not proposed to introduce any new taxes this year and also announced several other sops and beneficial schemes for most sections of the society, particularly women, girls, unemployed youth, farmers and tribals.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress staged a walkout of the Assembly over the hike in prices of domestic and commercial LPG cylinders.

Announcing the budgetary proposals for this government’s last budget before elections, the finance minister allocated Rs 8000 crore for the ‘Laadli Behna Yojana’, which was recently announced by Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan with an aim to benefit women in the state.

Similarly, Rs 929 crore has been allocated to the ‘Laadli Laxmi Yojana’, another dear scheme of CM Chouhan intended to benefit unmarried girls.

The Finance Minister announced that girl students scoring highest marks in Class XII exams would get an E-Scooty under the ‘CM Girl Child Scooty scheme.’ He also allocated Rs 400 crore for the development of medical colleges in the state.

With an aim to attract youth and new voters, the Minister announced that Rs 1000 crore has been allocated for the ‘CM Skill Internship Programme.’ He also said the state government would send 200 youth to Japan for employment.

To appease the unemployed youth, Devra said more than one lakh jobs would be created in the state. Leader of Opposition Kamal Nath had alleged yesterday that currently more than 39 lakh youth are unemployed in MP.

Devra said Rs 53264 crore has been allocated for agriculture, including Rs 277 crore for the ‘PM Shree yojana’ and Rs 1000 crore for the ‘Mukyamantri Krishak Sahayata Yojana’. He announced that the state government would pay the interest on loans taken by defaulter farmers from government institutions.

The Finance Minister allocated Rs 1000 crore under the ‘Aahaar Anudaan yojana’, aimed to aid in tackling the problem of malnutrition in the women and girls of various tribes in the state, including Baiga, Kol, Saharia and Bharia.

MP CM Chouhan lauded the budget saying it has increased the allocation of funds further this year without putting any new burden on the people of the state. Chouhan said the budget for 2022-23 was worth Rs 2.79 lakh crore, which has increased to Rs 3.14 lakh crore this year.

Earlier, when Finance Minister Jagdish Devra began presenting the budget in the house, the opposition Congress led by Kamal Nath raised slogans and walked out of the House over the issue of increase of Rs 50 in the price of a domestic LPG cylinder and Rs 350 on a commercial cylinder announced today by the union BJP government.

The Congress MLAs also staged a demonstration under Mahatma Gandhi’s statue inside the Assembly premises.

Kamal Nath castigated the BJP saying that on the one hand they boast about ‘Ladli Behna Yojana’ while on the other hand they hike the prices of LPG cylinders and increase the financial burden on women.