Haryana

• 26 Mar 2025

Haryana Budget 2025-26

Why in News? 

Haryana Chief Minister presented the state's budget for the financial year 2025-26, unveiling a comprehensive plan aimed at fostering sustainable growth and economic expansion.  

Key Points 

• Total Budget Outlay: The budget proposes an expenditure of ₹2,05,017.29 crore for 2025-26, marking a 13.7% increase from the previous fiscal year's (2024-25) revised estimates. 
  Department of Future: A new "Department of Future" will be established to prepare Haryana for upcoming economic, technological, and environmental challenges.  
  • This department will serve as a strategic think tank, focusing on areas such as climate change preparedness, artificial intelligence (AI), automation, and economic resilience. 
• Haryana AI Mission: The government plans to launch the Haryana AI Mission, with the World Bank assuring assistance of over ₹474 crore.  
  • Under this mission, hubs will be established in Gurugram and Panchkula to promote AI adoption and integration of emerging technologies within governance and industry. 
• Lado Lakshmi Scheme: An allocation of ₹5,000 crore has been made for the Lado Lakshmi Scheme, which aims to provide ₹2,100 per month to women, reflecting the government's commitment to women's empowerment and financial support. 
• Employment Generation: The budget emphasizes job creation, with a target of providing employment to 50 lakh youth under Mission Haryana-2047, demonstrating a long-term vision for workforce development. 
• Substance Abuse Prevention: A new authority named SANKALP (Substance Abuse and Narcotics Knowledge Awareness and Liberation Program Authority) will be established with an initial fund of ₹10 crore.  
  • This body will coordinate efforts to combat drug addiction through awareness and rehabilitation initiatives. 
• Fiscal Prudence: Strengthening Haryana’s Financial Health Over the past decade, Haryana has demonstrated remarkable fiscal discipline.  
  • The revenue deficit has reduced from 1.90% of GDP in 2014-15 to an estimated 1.47 % in 2024-25, and as a percentage of the total budget.  
  • it has declined from 13.4% to 9.9%.  
  • Similarly, the fiscal deficit has been steadily managed, reducing from 2.88% in 2014-15 to 2.68% in 2024-25.  
• Support for Athletes: National and international athletes will receive free insurance coverage of up to ₹20 lakh, with the government covering the premium. 
  • Olympic medalists will be provided ₹10 lakh to start their own businesses and will be eligible for a ₹5 crore loan with a 2% subsidy to establish their own sports academies. 
• Infrastructure Development: Significant investments are planned for infrastructure, including the development of multi-level parking facilities in several cities and a new metro line in Gurugram.  
  • Flight services from Hisar airport to destinations like Ayodhya, Jaipur, Chandigarh, Ahmedabad, and Jammu are also on the agenda. 
• Strengthening Agriculture And Rural Economy: Haryana being an agrarian state, the budget prioritises agricultural growth.  
  • Initiatives such as the interest-free loan of up to Rs 1 lakh for women dairy farmers, a new horticulture policy, and an air cargo facility for horticultural produce at Hisar airport will significantly enhance the agricultural value chain. 
  • Additionally, cow sanctuaries are being set up in every district to promote animal welfare and sustainable livestock farming. 
• Education Initiatives: Female students pursuing graduation or post-graduation in science and engineering will receive an annual scholarship of ₹1 lakh under the Kalpana Chawla Scholarship Scheme, promoting higher education among women in technical fields. 
• Empowering Startups: The state government is actively encouraging private investors to create a Rs 2,000 crore ‘Fund of Funds.’  
  • This initiative supports entrepreneurs, fostering a startup culture and attracting investments to Haryana. 
• Mission Haryana-2047:  A visionary initiative under this budget is ‘Mission Haryana-2047. It aims to elevate Haryana’s Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) to USD 1 trillion.  
  • The state's GSDP has witnessed a remarkable increase from Rs 4,37,145 crore in 2014-15 to a projected Rs 12,13,951 crore in 2024-25, growing at an annual average rate of 10.8 per cent.  
  • Similarly, per capita income has surged from Rs 1,47,382 in 2014-15 to an estimated Rs 3,53,182 in 2024-25. 

Haryana Prepares for Rabi Crop Procurement

Why in News? 

Haryana Government has set an ambitious target of procuring 75 lakh metric tonnes (MT) of wheat for the Rabi marketing season 2025-26.  

• A cash credit limit of over ₹6,653 crore has already been approved by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) to facilitate procurement. 

Key Points: 

• Haryana is expecting a bumper wheat production this Rabi season, prompting the state government to enhance procurement arrangements. 
• The Chief Minister has instructed marketing board officials to construct large sheds in vacant areas of mandis to accommodate future needs. 
• The procurement responsibilities have been divided among different agencies: 
  • 30% by the Food, Civil Supplies, and Consumer Affairs Department 
  • 40% by HAFED (Haryana State Co-operative Supply and Marketing Federation Limited) 
  • 20% by Haryana State Warehousing Corporation 
  • 10% by Food Corporation of India 
• Haryana contributes around 25% of the wheat to the central pool and ranks second in wheat production in India. 
• A total of 415 mandis will be operational for wheat procurement, 25 for barley, 11 for gram, 7 for lentils, 116 for mustard, and 17 for sunflower. 
• The minimum support prices (MSP) for various Rabi crops have been fixed as follows: 
  • Wheat: ₹2,425 per quintal 
  • Barley: ₹1,980 per quintal 
  • Gram: ₹5,650 per quintal 
  • Lentil: ₹6,700 per quintal 
  • Mustard: ₹5,950 per quintal 
  • Sunflower: ₹7,280 per quintal 
• The Chief Minister has instructed all deputy commissioners to form teams for monitoring the procurement process to ensure smooth and efficient operations. 

Minimum Support Price 

• About: 
  • MSP is the guaranteed amount paid to farmers when the government buys their produce. 
  • MSP is based on the recommendations of the Commission for Agricultural Costs and Prices (CACP), which considers various factors such as cost of production, demand and supply, market price trends, inter-crop price parity, etc. 
    • CACP is an attached office of the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare. It came into existence in January 1965. 
  • The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) chaired by the Prime Minister of India takes the final decision (approve) on the level of MSPs. 
  • The MSP is aimed at ensuring remunerative prices to growers for their produce and encouraging Crop Diversification.