For the first time in 38 years, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) commissioner Iqbal Singh Chahal on Saturday, February 4, will present the budget for the year 2023-24 in the absence of corporators.
The civic body chief will present the budget as the administrator. Meanwhile, in another first, BMC had invited suggestions from people this year in formulating the budget.
It is pertinent to note that this year the civic body had undertaken the initiative to have public participation in the Budget Estimates.
According to civic officials, a provision of ₹50,000 crores will be made for the 2023-24 financial year, which would be an increase of a little over ₹4,000 crores than last year’s ₹45,949 crore.
The focus would be on education, health, and infrastructure, they added.
On the infrastructure front, BMC is likely to allocate funds for construction of a new flyover to decongest the city, and for Goregaon-Mulund Link Road (GMLR). Big-ticket projects like Coastal Road and GMLR had found major allocations last year as well with ₹3,200 crores and ₹1,300 crores respectively.
The civic body had in last year’s budget proposed to set up 100 Hinduhridaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray health centres in the first phase. At these centres, 139 types of test could be carried out at nominal rates.
After BMC’s deliberative wing, comprising corporators, was dissolved on March 8, 2022, Chahal took over as the administrator.
Meanwhile, last year’s allocation for education was around ₹3,370.24 crores with emphasis on digital classrooms.
Read More: BMC Budget: Only 37% of its capital budget 2022 Spent till December
Share
Tweet
