Ex-BJP CM's alternative budget for Gujarat govt emphasises environment, healthcare, education

A few days ago, I received a phone call from former BJP Chief Minister Suresh Mehta, who resigned from the party in 2007 following differences with the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. Now 88, though still active, he told me he had prepared an alternative budget proposal ahead of the Gujarat government's budget session.

I have known Mehta ever since I was assigned to Gandhinagar, the state capital, in 1997 to report on government affairs for The Times of India. A former lawyer who always sought to understand issues independently, he was quite frank about his closeness to A.B. Vajpayee. Though not part of the Sangh Parivar and broadly secular despite being in the BJP, he followed the party line and refrained from criticizing the Sangh Parivar.

Mehta told me, "After analyzing past budgets for several months, I have prepared an alternative budget proposal and submitted it to Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel. I did this because I believe that if the state government does not make necessary structural changes in the new budget for 2025-26, people's welfare will suffer. I sought an appointment to discuss my proposal but received no response. Hence, I have decided to address the media and release the document."

When I asked Mehta whether he had taken help from an economist, he said he had not, which surprised me. Though he understands budget nuances well—having served as Chief Minister for nearly a year in 1995-96, followed by holding the powerful Industries portfolio from 1998 to 2002—he told the media, at a press conference on February 17, that he got the idea for an alternative budget from Mahesh Pandya, an environmentalist.

Releasing the 28-page document, Mehta told the media that the Gujarat government has been dividing the budget for the Environment, Forest, and Climate Change Department into three parts. In the outgoing financial year 2024-25, environmental protection received an allocation of just about ₹40 crore out of the total ₹3 lakh crore budget. On the other hand, climate change received ₹1,200 crore.

"Under the climate change category, the state government provides subsidies to industries setting up so-called green energy units, including solar and wind energy, and new technologies that claim to minimize pollution caused by coal-based power production. Does the government believe that farmers do not suffer due to climate change?" he asked.

Further pointing out that the Gujarat Pollution Control Board (GPCB), the state’s main regulator for air, water, and land pollution, received zero allocation, Mehta said, "As a result, the GPCB has become dependent on industry, which causes pollution across the state. It certifies industrial units as non-polluting in exchange for fees, which is now its primary source of sustenance. It no longer monitors pollution, something it used to do in the past."

Mehta suggested that this approach is similar to how the state government handles health, education, and child care. "The per-child allocation in 2011-12 was ₹2. For the outgoing financial year, it was ₹8. However, this ₹8 per child allocation conceals a crucial fact: it hides expenses for malnutrition," he said.

"In fact," he continued, "this amount also includes funding for building school classrooms and child care centers. Meanwhile, there have been moves to cut funds for children's morning breakfast programs." He claimed that "nearly 86% of child welfare funds are diverted towards capital expenditure."

Mehta noted, "There has been neglect of social sector spending on health and education in favor of infrastructure development. Huge subsidies are offered to industries in the name of development. Flyovers are considered more important than people's welfare. As a result, debts have risen sharply. In the early 2000s, the state's debt was ₹11,000 crore. By the next financial year, it is expected to reach ₹5 lakh crore."

Comments

Irrational? Basis for fear among Hindus about being 'swamped' by Muslims

I was amused while reading an article titled "Ham Paanch, Hamare Pachees", shared on Facebook, by well-known policy analyst Mohan Guruswamy, an alumnus of the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University. Guruswamy, who has also worked as an advisor to the Finance Minister with the rank of Secretary to the Government of India, seeks to probe, as he himself states, "the supposed Muslim attitude to family planning"—a theme that was invoked by Narendra Modi as Gujarat Chief Minister ahead of the December 2002 assembly polls.

Why's Australian crackdown rattling Indian students? Whopping 25% fake visa applications

This is what happened several months ago. A teenager living in the housing society where I reside was sent to Australia to study at a university in Sydney with much fanfare. The parents, whom I often met as part of a group, would tell us how easily the boy got his admission with the help of "some well-meaning friends," adding that they had obtained an education loan to ensure he could study at a graduate school.

Tracking a lost link: Soviet-era legacy of Gujarati translator Atul Sawani

The other day, I received a message from a well-known activist, Raju Dipti, who runs an NGO called Jeevan Teerth in Koba village, near Gujarat’s capital, Gandhinagar. He was seeking the contact information of Atul Sawani, a translator of Russian books—mainly political and economic—into Gujarati for Progress Publishers during the Soviet era. He wanted to collect and hand over scanned soft copies, or if possible, hard copies, of Soviet books translated into Gujarati to Arvind Gupta, who currently lives in Pune and is undertaking the herculean task of collecting and making public soft copies of Soviet books that are no longer available in the market, both in English and Indian languages.

Gujarat slips in India Justice Report 2025: From model state to mid-table performer

Overall ranking in IJR reports The latest India Justice Report (IJR), prepared by legal experts with the backing of several civil society organisations and aimed at ranking the capacity of states to deliver justice, has found Gujarat—considered by India's rulers as a model state for others to follow—slipping to the 11th position from fourth in 2022.

Punishing senior citizens? Flipkart, Shopsy stop Cash on Delivery in Ahmedabad!

The other day, someone close to me attempted to order some goodies on Flipkart and its subsidiary Shopsy. After preparing a long list of items, this person, as usual, opted for the Cash on Delivery (popularly known as COD) option, as this senior citizen isn't very familiar with online prepaid payment methods like UPI, credit or debit cards, or online bank transfers through websites. In fact, she is hesitant to make online payments, fearing, "I may make a mistake," she explained, adding, "I read a lot about online frauds, so I always choose COD as it's safe. I have no knowledge of how to prepay online."

A conman, a demolition man: How 'prominent' scribes are defending Pritish Nandy

How to defend Pritish Nandy? That’s the big question some of his so-called fans seem to ponder, especially amidst sharp criticism of his alleged insensitivity during his journalistic career. One such incident involved the theft and publication of the birth certificate of Masaba Gupta, daughter of actor Neena Gupta, in the Illustrated Weekly of India, which Nandy was editing at the time. He reportedly did this to uncover the identity of Masaba’s father.

Of lingering shadow of Haren Pandya's murder during Modi's Gujarat days

Sunita Williams’ return to Earth has, ironically, reopened an old wound: the mysterious murder of her first cousin, the popular BJP leader Haren Pandya, in 2003. Initially a supporter of Narendra Modi, Haren turned against him, not sparing any opportunity to do things that would embarrass Modi. Social media and some online news portals, including The Wire , are abuzz with how Modi’s recent invitation to Sunita to visit India comes against the backdrop of how he, as Gujarat’s chief minister, didn’t care to offer any official protocol support during her 2007 visit to Gujarat.

Area set aside in Ahmedabad for PM's affordable housing scheme 'has gone to big builders'

Following my article on affordable housing in Counterview, which quoted a top real estate consultant, I was informed that affordable housing—a scheme introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi—has deviated from its original intent. A former senior bureaucrat, whom I used to meet during my Sachivalaya days, told me that an entire area in Ahmedabad, designated for the scheme, has been used to construct costly houses instead.

Just 5% Gujarat Dalit households 'recognise' social reformers who inspired Ambedkar

An interesting survey conducted across 22 districts and 32 villages in Gujarat sheds light on the representation of key social reformers in Dalit households. It suggests that while Dr. B.R. Ambedkar's photo was displayed in a majority of homes, images of Lord Buddha and the 19th-century reformist couple, Savitribai Phule and Jyotiba Phule, were not as commonly represented.

Search This Blog