Girl children to get 1 lakh on attaining 18 years of age!

Gujarat government has prepared their budget and has announced certain key schemes in their proposal.

Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel, who also holds the finance portfolio, presented the state's budget, which has a size of over Rs 2.03 lakh crore and focuses on the development.

The budget, which has gone over Rs 2 lakh crore in size for the first time in the history of the state, shows a surplus of Rs 572.12 crore and proposes to spend around 62 per cent of the total budgeted amount on development works, reports Times Now.

To improve the birth rate of a girl child, Patel announced a new scheme called "Vahale Deekaree Yojana". Under which, the first and second girl child of a family shall be provided assistance of Rs 4,000 each at the time of enrollment in the first standard and Rs 6,000 each when she takes admission in the ninth standard.

When she reaches the age of 18, the government would provide an assistance of Rs 1 lakh which can be used for either her marriage or for higher education. A family with an annual income up to Rs 2 lakh will be eligible for the scheme and the state has made a provision of Rs 133 crore in the budget, said Patel.

For stamp duty related to adoption deed, marriage registration, partnership and release of ancestral property in favour of legal heirs, the present rate of Rs 100 is proposed to be increased to Rs 200, he said.

Patel also proposed to increase electricity duty from 55 paise to 70 paise per unit. Patel said the budget has been prepared keeping in mind five key focus areas - water management, green and clean energy, environment, agriculture and farmers welfare, and employment.

He also said the state would spend Rs 20,000 crore over next three years "to ensure that no household in Gujarat is left without the facility of tap drinking water".