SHIMLA: Himachal CM Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu presented the Congress government’s maiden budget on Friday, headlining it with a “cow cess” on liquor and a raft of welfare measures.
Presenting the Rs 53,413-crore budget for 2023-24 in the assembly, Sukhu started his 135-minute speech with a shloka (verse) from the Gita and announced the cow cess of Rs 10 on the sale of each bottle of liquor, which will add up to an additional revenue of Rs 100 crore per annum. The CM also rolled out a pension plan, under which, women in the state will get Rs 1,500 per month, at a cost of Rs 416 crore per year.
Other highlights of the budget included sops for electric vehicles as part of a larger drive to make HP a green state by 2026. The CM also announced that the “Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holding Act, 1972”, will be amended and daughters will be considered a separate unit.