Parliament Diary

Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha could not take up scheduled business due to repeated disruptions.

Madhya Pradesh Budget:

The Finance Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Mr. Jayant Malaiya, presented the Budget for financial year 2018-19 on February 28, 2018.

Some key policy highlights include:

• To ensure that farmers get the beneficial value for their crops, the government had launched the Mukhyamantri Bhavantar Bhugtan Yojana. Under the scheme, the difference between the support price and the market price is directly deposited in the bank accounts of the farmers. As per the budget, Rs 1,500 crore has been deposited to 10.5 lakh farmers’ accounts. The budget allocates an amount of Rs 37,498 to the agriculture sector.
• Under the National Health Mission, the government has allocated Rs 1,975 crore for 2018-19. The government had launched the Swasthya Kshetra Nivesh Protsahan Yojana to promote investment for establishing hospitals and dispensaries. The budget has proposed setting up of 10 bed hospitals in small and rural areas with a 40% investment from the government and remaining from private parties.
• The government has announced the construction of a six-lane expressway between Bhopal and Indore at an estimated cost of Rs 5,000 crore. A target has been announced to construct 3,000 km roads and 150 bridges, along with renovating 3,500 km roads in 2018-19.

Our detailed analysis of the Budget can be read here