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The BJP-led Delhi government is set to present the Budget 2025-26, its first Budget in 26 years in the national capital.
Chief Minister Rekha Gupta, who also holds the portfolio of Finance Minister will present the Budget 2025-26 today. Before the presentation of the Budget, the chief minister is set to visit the Hanuman Temple in Connaught Place after which she will head towards Delhi Secretariat for a Cabinet meeting. The Cabinet meetings, which were usually held at the Assembly during the reign of former CM Arvind Kejriwal, will now be held at the Delhi Secretariat. Folliwng the meeting Gupta will proceed to the Vidhan Sabha and present the budget. This Budget Session is significant, as it follows the recent 2025 Delhi Legislative Assembly election, which saw the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) return to power after 27 years. Earlier on Monday, a Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) was tabled by Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta in the Assembly. It highlighted operational inefficiencies and financial losses, leading to criticism of the previous Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government. The report evaluates DTC's key operational and financial aspects, pointing to inefficiencies and areas needing improvement. It examines fleet management, revenue generation, operational sustainability, and adherence to public transport policies. Following the tabling of the CAG report, BJP MLA Harish Khurana slammed the previous AAP government, accusing it of mismanaging the public transport system, which resulted in financial losses and a decline in DTC's bus fleet. Khurana, in the Delhi Assembly session, pointed out that while AAP had promised 11,000 new buses in 2013-15, the number of DTC buses decreased from 4,344 in 2015 to 3,937. He further alleged that under former Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana, DTC was profitable, but under AAP, the corporation's overall losses surged to Rs 8,498.33 crore, increasing by Rs 5,000 crore during AAP's tenure. Highlighting the revenue decline, he stated that DTC's operating income dropped from Rs 914 crore when AAP took power to Rs 558 crore. He also alleged financial irregularities, questioning why the AAP government allotted 3.18 lakh square meters of DTC land to private cluster buses without collecting Rs 225 crore in rent. Furthermore, he slammed the administration for failing to procure new buses despite having Rs 223 crore in 2022 for the Delhi Transport Department. Khurana credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi's intervention for providing electric buses to Delhi, stating that 1,770 CNG buses had exceeded their operational age but were not replaced by the AAP government. The Delhi Legislative Assembly convened for its Budget Session on Monday, ahead of which CM Gupta prepared the ceremonial 'Kheer'. The Budget Session is a crucial period in the legislative calendar, during which key financial and policy matters will be discussed and decided upon. The session is tentatively scheduled to run from March 24 to March 28, 2025, with provisions for extension if required. (ANI)
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