The government’s aim for a fiscal deficit of 5.1% of GDP in 2024-25 is around 70 basis points lower than the updated estimate for the current year. This puts the goal to reach the 4.5% mark by 2025-26 within striking reach.
Congress party promised a slew of measures, including, waiving loans of Self-Help Groups, subsidising cooking gas cylinders through a new scheme, offering free treatment to victims of road accidents, upgrading around 6,000 government higher secondary and high schools into Swami Atmanand English and Hindi medium schools, and providing free electricity up to 200 units.
A 14.2 kg cooking gas refill costs Rs 903 in Delhi. For Ujjwala customers, the effective price is Rs 702, which will now drop to Rs 602. There are about 31 crore cooking gas customers in the country, including 9.6 crore Ujjwala beneficiaries. Non-Ujjwala customers do not get subsidy.