iPhone 13 for All 200 MLAs: Rajasthan Govt's Surprise Gift After Budget Presentation

Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on Wednesday presented the budget for the year 2022-23 at the state assembly in Jaipur with the main focus on sectors like health, education, infrastructure, social security, and tourism. After presenting the annual budget in the Rajasthan assembly, the Gehlot government, this year as well, gave expensive gifts to its sitting MLAs. This time, the Congress-ruled state government has gifted the Apple iPhone 13 with a digital copy of the budget to all its 200 MLAs in a kit. Each iPhone 13 costs about Rs 75,000 to Rs 1 lakh.

As per the information received, a total of 250 phones were bought by the state government, of which, 200 were gifted to the MLAs. This is not the first time for the MLAs as earlier the Gehlot government had given expensive gadgets such as Apple iPads and laptops to them.

Rajasthan Congress chief Govind Singh Dotasra has said that the state government has not gifted only MLAs, but has also announced in the budget to give smartphones to women in the state as well.

However, Rajasthan BJP president Satish Poonia announced on Twitter that BJP MLAs, who have received iPhone 13, will return them to the state government to reduce the financial burden on it. “Keeping in view the financial burden on the state government, it has been decided that all the BJP MLAs will return the iPhones given by the Congress government,” his tweet roughly translated from Hindi to English.

Key Highlights of Rajasthan budget:

• The tourism sector in Rajasthan will get industry status in the state. Rajasthan Rural Tourism Scheme was launched to promote tourism in rural areas.

• The Indira Gandhi Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme is in the lines of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), for which an Rs 800 crore budget has been proposed.

• Another major announcement in the budget is to implement the old pension scheme from next year for all employees appointed on or after January 1, 2004.

• The government has announced to provide 1 lakh jobs in the government sector. Of these, 62,000 Grade III teachers will be recruited through REET-2022. Similarly, by opening 1,000 new Mahatma Gandhi English Medium Schools, new posts of 10,000 teachers will be created and filled.

• An Anti-Cheating Cell of Special Operation Group (SOG) has been announced in the budget to check cheating in recruitment examinations.

• Announcements for new RIICO were made and for their security, RISF will be formed on the lines of CISF. Under this, 2,000 security personnel will be recruited.

• New sports academy will be opened in PPP mode under which coaches and physical teachers will get employment.

• From April 1, the salary of contractual workers in Rajasthan will be increased by 20 per cent.

• The state government has also came up with ‘Work From Home’ scheme and said that 20,000 women will be given employment while being at home. In this, women from sewing, dyeing, handicraft sector will get employment.

• As many as 3,820 Secondary Schools to be upgraded to Senior Secondary Schools, 1,000-1,000 Mahatma Gandhi English medium schools rural and urban areas, 36 Girls Colleges will be opened in 19 districts of the Rajasthan.

• On medical terms, Rs 10 lakh annual medical insurance cover was announced for each family in Chiranjivi Scheme, free treatment for Cochlear implant, Bone-marrow Transplant, Organ Transplant, Blood/Platelets/Plasma Transfusions, Limb Prosthesis (Bone Cancer) in Chiranjivi Scheme has been promised along with Cashless Outdoor (OPD) and Indoor (IPD) facilities in all government medical institutions.

• Mukhyamantri Chiranjivi Accidental Insurance Scheme has been announced promising free accidental insurance cover upto Rs 5 lakh.

(with inputs from IANS)

Read all the Latest Politics News and Breaking News here