INDIA. Mumbai: India’s richest civic body, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), tabled a Rs 52,619.07 crore budget estimate for 2023–24, thus crossing the Rs 50,000 crore mark for the first time.
BMC Budget 2023-2024
The BMC budget is higher by 14.52 percent (Rs 6,670 crore) compared to the Rs 45,949.21 crore budget of Rs 45,949.21 crore. With Rs 27,247 crore earmarked for public infrastructure, the capital expenditure is greater than the revenue for the first time, BMC Commissioner and state-appointed administrator Iqbal Singh Chahal told the media.
The budget was presented to Chahal by the Additional Commissioner (Projects) P Velrasu. This is the first time since 1985 that the budget has been tabled since the civic body is under an administrator, after the term of the corporators ended on March 7, 2007, at the completion of a five-year term.
Infrastructure
A provision for different works is the Mumbai Coastal Road Project-Rs 3,545 crore (69 percent work of the coastal road project has been completed and a partial coastal road is expected to be operational by November 2023).
The Goregaon-Mulund Link Road project-Rs 1060 crore (the road is expected to cut Goregaon-Mulund travel to 20 minutes), BEST-Rs 800 crore( in 2022-23, BEST was given Rs 1,382.28 crore), Traffic operations and roads projects- Rs 2,825 crore. By December 2023, Mumbai will have 3,400 electric buses.
BMC has also decided to develop a parking app through which all 32 public parking lots (PPL), off-street parking, and 91 on-street parking places will be regulated. The app will help the citizens of Mumbai pre-book parking slots, make online payments, etc.
Health/Medical Education
Rs 1680.19 crore have been allocated for health and medical education, which includes the redevelopment of hospitals in suburbs and extension of Hindu Hriday Samrat Balasaheb Thackeray free dispensaries (Rs 50 crore). It includes CT scan facilities at KEM, Nair, Sion Hospitals ( 15 crores each), and MRI test facilities at KEM, Nair, Sion (Rs 25 crore each).
Non-contagious diseases prevention measures(Rs 12 crore), Shiv Yoga centres (Rs. 05 crores) and renovation of cemeteries (Rs 1.40 crore) are included in the presented budget. A Metropolitan Surveillance Unit will be set up in Kasturba Hospital. Additionally, Rs 35 crore has been set aside to make insecticides available in the city.
Education
The budget estimates for the education sector are Rs 3,347.13 crore (compared to Rs 3,370 crore in 2022-2023). The BMC plans “talking walls” in schools with paintings and art based on class-wise curriculum content to promote interactive classrooms in its 245 primary schools.
A systematic database of education curricula will be created, and curricular activities will be carried out through LED smart boards under the digital classroom project.
Besides, math and science centres will be set up in 88 primary schools. Leadership training will be administered to 120 civic school principals in association with the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management.
In addition, beginning in June 2023, selected secondary schools in the city will receive skill development training courses under the National Education Policy (NEP) 2020.
Environment
For pollution control measures, budget Rs. 1500 crore. One lakh trees will be planted as part of the urban greening initiative along the Mithi River, the Mahakali Caves, Swami Vivekananda Udyan, and Bharat Van Udyan in Marol.
In addition to the Rs. 25 crore that has been set aside for sustainable waste management and air pollution mitigation measures, air purifiers will be erected at Dahisar Toll Naka, Mulund Check Naka, Mankhurd, Kalanagar Junction, and Haji Ali Junction. Additionally, the BMC is adding more electric vehicle charging stations in its own public parking lots.
Social initiatives
The BMC has allocated Rs 250 crore for various social impact initiatives under various headings, which include financial schemes for women, the differently abled, transpersons, senior citizens, and a women’s training scheme.
Revenue
Property tax revenue for the fiscal year 2022–2023 was originally projected to reach Rs 7,000 crore but was later revised to Rs 4,800 crore, a decrease of Rs 2,200 crore. Up until December 31, 2022, the actual income received was Rs. 3,174.46 crore.
The planned Rs 33,290.03 crore projection for revenue income for 2023–24 represents an increase of Rs 2,546.42 crore above the forecasts for 2022–23.
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