By IANS
New Delhi : The Delhi assembly Thursday approved with voice vote the city government’s Rs.202-billon budget for 2008-09.
Finance Minister A.K. Walia presented the budget Monday. Earlier, replying to the budget discussion, he said that the current outlay would accelerate the pace of development and welfare of weaker sections of society.
“We have increased the monthly pension for old people from Rs.600 to Rs.1,000,” Walia said.
“The city’s plan outlay has increased from Rs.22.33 billion in 1999-2000 to Rs.100 billion in 2008-09, which is a hike of four and a half times,” he said.
“During 1993-98, only 542 beds were added in the government hospitals whereas during the last eight years 2,126 beds have been added,” he said.
The Sheila Dikshit-led Congress government unseated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) first in 1998 and retained power in 2003.
“Since 1999, the Congress government has opened 15 new hospitals. Two super-speciality hospitals will be commissioned in the new fiscal,” he said.
Walia also refuted the opposition’s allegation of increase in prices of essential commodities in the city.
“As per the National Labour Bureau’s consumer price index, there has been only 3.2 percent increase in prices in Delhi whereas it was 4.6 percent in Mumbai, 5 percent in Chennai and 8 percent in Kolkata,” Walia said.