Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje today announced one-time loan waiver of up to Rs 50,000 for small and marginal farmers in the state, which would cost Rs 8,000 crore to the exchequer.

Presenting the state budget in the Assembly, Raje also announced setting up a farmer loan relief commission where farmers can approach and present their side for getting relief on merit basis.

As Raje, who also holds finance portfolio, announced the loan waiver, opposition Congress members led by the leader of opposition Rameshwar Dudi created uproar in the house. They said it was betrayal with farmers and complete loan should be waived. She informed the house that the decision of loan waiver up to Rs 50,000 for small and marginal farmers will cost Rs 8,000 crore to the exchequer.

Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje’s Budget speech emphasised on developmental works being done by the government in the road and transport, water resources and energy sectors.

The chief minister also announced free travel for people above 80 years of age and one attendee on half fare in the state roadways buses. Hike in honorarium to Anganwadi workers, underpass from Ramniwas garden to Delhi road for a better traffic management, biogas plants in cow shelters were among other announcements.

Construction, upgrade and renewal of 49,878 km roads was done in last four years, Raje said. Rural areas were connected and Rs 766 crore will be spent in the next financial years to construct roads in these areas, the chief minister said. Raje announced that 15 km of new roads will be constructed in each Assembly constituency of Rajasthan, while work to upgrade and renew rural roads will be done at the cost of Rs 800 crore in the next fiscal. She said that a state level road safety training centre will be established in Jaipur at cost of Rs 10 crore, and highways and mega-highways will be developed as emergency landing airstrips.

For water resources and command areas, the chief minister announced several schemes to the tune to Rs 52,000 crore, including development of the Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project (ERCP) at cost of Rs 37,500 crore. The detailed project report for the ERCP has been sent to the Centre.

To meet drinking water requirement of people in Rajsamand, Chittorgarh and Udaipur, a high level canal to the Jaisamand Drinking Water Project was proposed. Rs 1,000 crore was proposed for a pipeline scheme for meeting the water requirement of Jaipur and Rs 2,000 crore for the Parwan-Akawad drinking water scheme.

In the power sector, the chief minister announced to provide 7 lakh new electricity connections and 2 lakh agriculture connections which were pending since January 2012.

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