The current government in Jharkhand headed by Raghubar Das is seen as a pro-industry front with a pro-elite image. In an effort to silence critics the government tabled the state’s annual budget for 2017-18 which focusses on a simple approach that would allocate major resources towards education, the rural sector and women’s empowerment.
Das presented the budget of over Rs. 75 thousand crore, which is 19.17% greater than the budget of the previous year, including features that bring up Gareeb Kalyan Varsh which was the state government’s promised theme for the FY 2017-2018, even as the JMM had dismissed this as uninteresting and opposition had reprimanded the false statements and promises which had been made in the previous year.
How it is being done.
The budget this year would be the beginning of a road-map spanning the next three years, the chief minister had to say. This has a focus on a positive growth for Jharkhand. The most stress is given to Education as well as skill development to combat poverty as well as unemployment in the inner towns and villages of the state.
He went on to talk about the delivery of Rs. 10,517.64 cr, which was a maximum, that will be put forward for education and skill building programmes. Further, Rs. 1,167.10 cr would go on the be spent on higher education, which is interestingly a small fraction of the total amount. This indicates a focus on primary education. Going forward, a generous amount of Rs. 10,473.70 crore, a 13.84%, following along on the government’s list of focal points and priorities is set aside for the rural sector along with panchayati raj schemes.
Das talked about the mass of education initiatives at Binod Behari Mahto Koyalanchal University in Dhanbad, Jharkhand. He focussed on retrofitting Ranchi College to a university and the three new universities which would be brought up in the coming financial year.
There have also been several schemes to develop Baba Baidyanath Sanskrit University in Deogarh which have been sent to the Centre for approval. Along with these were proposals for a Central Tribal University within the state along the same plan as the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University, that was set up in the state of MP.
The would be a crop of new Technical Colleges coming up in the cities of Ranchi, Bokaro and Deogarh. Along with those, six polytechnic universities would also be started. The Center has supported the state by approving the idea to start an offset of AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) in Deogarh. There have also been proposals for Nursing Schools in Latehar, Lohardaga, Deogarh, Pakur and Koderma. Pharmacy Colleges will also be put up in each divisional headquarter.
To promote more girls in the state to take up higher education, the government promised to create a bus transport service to and from remote areas. Also, a claimed special set of budgetary provisions has been added for the wellbeing of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and the development of their domestic areas.