The 15th consecutive budget of the Sheila Dikshit Government in Delhi, which faces elections in November this year, put focus on social sector projects.

Presenting a Rs 37,450-crore budget for the next fiscal, the Chief Minister said Rs 16,000 crore had been earmarked as Plan outlay.

Out of the total Plan outlay, she said, Rs 10,351 crore had been earmarked for social sector projects, 65 per cent of the total Plan outlay.

In her budget speech in Delhi Assembly on Wednesday, the last in her third term, Dikshit expressed confidence that the city government was on track to grow on 9 per cent compared with 5 per cent at the national level.

“Delhi is on the track to grow on 9 per cent compared with 5 per cent of national average... The per capita income in Delhi is Rs 2,01,083.

It has gone up by five times since this Government took over. In 1998, when we came to power, it was Rs 40,060,” she added.

No new tax was levied and chilly spray, desi ghee and LED lights were spared of value added tax (VAT).

Among the sectors, transport got the highest allocation of Rs 3,876 crore followed by health Rs 2,490 crore, education Rs 1,981 crore, urban development Rs 1,840 crore and water Rs 1,665 crore.

She said she wanted Delhi to be the ‘health and well-being’ capital of the country with emphasis on the holistic development of the sector.

The budget has completely withdrawn the 12.5 per cent VAT on chilly spray, a self-defence device for women.

Diskhit said her Government had constructed 65 flyovers during 2009-13, the first four years of her third term.

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