Chhattisgarh Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary Presents ₹1,65,000 Crore Budget for Financial Year 2025-26

On Monday, Chhattisgarh's Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary presented a budget of ₹1,65,000 crore for the fiscal year 2025-26 in the State Assembly, emphasizing the theme of 'Gati' (momentum). This budget focuses on governance, accelerating basic infrastructure, technology, and industrial development. Minister Choudhary highlighted that last year's budget laid the foundation for inclusive development, while this year's budget marks the next step in that developmental journey.

During the budget presentation, Finance Minister O.P. Choudhary stated that the previous fiscal year's budget centered around the theme of 'Gyan' (knowledge), focusing on the welfare of the poor, youth, farmers, and women. In contrast, this year's budget aims to propel progress in the state under the theme of 'Gati' (momentum), which includes governance efficiency, rapid infrastructure development, technology, and industrial growth. He stressed the importance of achieving mid-term goals by 2030 and long-term developmental objectives for developed Chhattisgarh by 2047.

Key Highlights of the Budget

The budget allocates funds for several new initiatives by the state government:

1. Mobile Tower Scheme: To provide connectivity in remote areas.
2. Chief Minister's Transport Scheme: Providing public transport services from gram panchayats to block and district levels in underserved areas.
3. Formation of 500 New Cooperative Societies.
4. Establishment of National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in the State.
5. Survey to Link Mahanadi-Indravati and Siksagar-Kodar Rivers.
6. Establishment of Medi City, Education City, and National Institute of Urban Management in New Raipur.
7. Promotion of UPI (Digital Payments) in all Gram Panchayats.
8. Allocation of ₹10,000 Crore for Farmer Welfare Scheme to enhance agricultural prosperity.
9. Allocation of ₹8,500 Crore for Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (Rural) for Rural Housing Improvement.
10. Allocation of ₹5,500 Crore for Mahatari Vandana Yojana and ₹4,500 Crore for Chief Minister's Food Assistance Scheme to empower women and ensure food security.

In addition, the budget earmarks ₹3,500 Crore for providing free electricity to agriculture pumps up to five HP, reducing the financial burden on farmers. Furthermore, ₹2,000 Crore has been allocated under the Public Works Department (PWD) for the construction of new roads, and ₹845 Crore has been approved for PMGSY to connect remote tribal areas to the main roads. The state government has also increased the threshold of E-way Bill from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh to ease compliance for small businesses, benefiting over 40,000 traders and reducing litigation in more than 62,000 cases.

Stamp duty on immovable property transactions will be removed to stimulate economic transactions. The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) is estimated to increase by 12% to ₹6,35,918 Crore in FY 2025-26 from ₹5,67,880 Crore in FY 2024-25, with a projected per capita income growth of 9.37%. The Finance Minister expects an 11% increase in the state's own revenue without imposing new taxes or increasing tax rates, demonstrating a prudent fiscal management approach.

For FY 2025-26, the state proposes a capital expenditure of approximately ₹26,341 Crore, which accounts for 16% of the total budget and 4.14% of the state's GSDP. The budget reflects the government's commitment to sustainable economic growth and inclusive development across Chhattisgarh.