Opposition MLAs arrived in Maharashtra Vidhan Bhavan with pumpkins, protested against Shinde government's budget

Opposition MLAs carrying pumpkins to register a protest against the Shinde government at Maharashtra's Vidhan Bhavan. Opposition MLAs brought pumpkins to protest against the budget presented by the Shinde-Fadnavis government yesterday. The opposition alleges that the public did not get anything in the budget. They say that budget means pumpkin of illusion. Along with the pumpkin in the Vidhan Bhavan, the opposition also raised slogans. The legislators raised slogans, "Farmers got pumpkin, laborers got pumpkin, students got pumpkin in the budget."

Significantly, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister and Finance Minister Devendra Fadnavis presented the first budget of the Eknath Shinde government for the financial year 2023-24 in the state assembly on Thursday. Fadnavis presented a total budget of Rs 1,72,000 crore with a fiscal deficit of Rs 16,222 crore in the House.

Announcing Re 1 crop insurance scheme for farmers, the Deputy Chief Minister said that this would put an additional burden of Rs 3,312 crore on the government. He said, “In the earlier crop insurance scheme, farmers had to pay two per cent of the crop insurance premium. Now the farmers will not have to pay a single penny as the government will pay the premium amount. Devendra Fadnavis said that the scope of health insurance scheme 'Mahatma Phule Jan Arogya Yojana' has been extended. It is proposed to be increased from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh. He further said, “The budget also proposed the Namo Shetkari Mahasamman Yojana, under which every farmer in the state will get Rs 6,000 annually in addition to the Rs 6,000 they get under the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi. This will benefit 1.15 crore farmer families and will put an additional burden of Rs 6,900 crore on the government.