Raipur: Chhattisgarh’s Finance Minister OP Choudhary presented a ground-breaking ₹1,65,000 crore, 100-page handwritten historic budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 in the Chhattisgarh Legislative Assembly on Monday, themed “GATI” (Good Governance, Accelerating Infrastructure, Technology, and Industrial Growth).
This budget marks the silver jubilee of the state and coincides with the 100th birth anniversary of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee, honoring his vision for Chhattisgarh.
Choudhary noted that while the previous budget focused on “GYAN” (Gareeb, Yuva, Annadata, and Nari), this year’s budget aims to enhance growth through “GATI,” facilitating the state’s goals for ‘Amrit Kaal Vision 2047’ by 2030.
The projected Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) for 2025-26 is ₹6,35,918 crore, a 12% increase from ₹5,67,880 crore in 2024-25, with per capita income expected to rise by 9.37% to ₹1,62,870 for FY 2024-25. The agriculture sector accounted for 17% of the GSDP, the industrial sector for 48%, and services for 35%.
Despite no new taxes, the state’s revenue is projected to increase by 11% in 2025-26. Capital expenditure is set at ₹26,341 crore, constituting 16% of the total budget and 4.14% of GSDP, placing Chhattisgarh among the leaders in the capex-to-GSDP ratio.
A revenue surplus budget of ₹2,804 crore is estimated for 2025-26, with a gross fiscal deficit of ₹22,900 crore. After considering ₹4,000 crore in special assistance from the Centre, the net fiscal deficit stands at ₹18,900 crore, or 2.97% of GSDP, well within the 3% FRBM limit.
To support small traders facing challenges, the government will raise the e-way bill limit from ₹50,000 to ₹1 Lakh and waive pending VAT liabilities up to ₹25,000 for over 40,000 traders, reducing more than 62,000 litigation cases.
This second budget from the Vishnu Deo Sai-led BJP government focuses on robust growth and welfare for marginalized groups, including women, children, and farmers, without introducing new taxes. Choudhary announced the removal of the cess on stamp duty for property transactions and plans for river interlinking surveys.
Major allocations include:
– ₹10,000 crore for the Krishak Unnati Yojana
– ₹8,500 crore for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural)
– ₹5,500 crore for Mahatari Vandan Yojana
– ₹4,500 crore for Mukhya Mantri Kanyadan Sahayta Yojana
– ₹3,500 crore for free electricity for agricultural pumps
– ₹1,500 crore for Ayushman Yojana
– ₹2,000 crore for new road construction by PWD
– ₹845 crore for PMGSY road construction
– ₹500 crore for connecting PVTG habitats to main roads
– ₹100 crore for ring road construction
– ₹147 crore for the construction of 17 Nalanda Libraries
New initiatives include:
– Mukhyamantri Mobile Tower Scheme to enhance connectivity in remote areas
– Mukhyamantri Parivahan Yojana for improved public transport from villages to district headquarters
– Formation of 500 new cooperative societies
– Budget provisions for the procurement of pulses and oilseeds under the Centre’s PSS scheme
– ₹500 crore for Mukhyamantri Nagarotthan Yojana for urban development
– Establishing a National Institute of Fashion Technology in the state
– Launch of Sickle Cell Screening Centres in all blocks
– Surveys for interlinking the Mahanadi-Indravati and Sikasar-Kodar rivers
– Plans for Medi City, Education City, and the National Institute of Urban Management in Nava Raipur
– Promotion of UPI-based digital payments across all Gram Panchayats
– Creating a Special Operations Group similar to the NSG for high-level security
– ₹200 crore allocated for developing iconic tourism destinations and wellness, wildlife, and water-based tourism in Naya Raipur
– Surveys and setups for the Raipur-Durg Metro line and State Capital Region Office
– Doubling of the Patrakar Samman Nidhi from ₹10,000 to ₹20,000
– Subsidized land allotment for the Chamber of Commerce office in Nava Raipur
– Social audits of District Mineral Foundation (DMF) projects
– Incentives for departmental reforms based on a competitive index
– Funding for the digitization of land records and digital crop surveys.
