उत्तराखंड राज्य बजट 2020-21 विश्लेषण

मुख्य बातें

• Total expenditure was approximately Rs 42,500 crore, actually declining from the previous year's Rs 44,000 crore as COVID-19 forced expenditure compression and project delays.
• Revenue receipts fell to Rs 33,800 crore, a sharp 10% decline driven by the collapse in tourism-linked economic activity and disrupted industrial production.
• Own tax revenue dropped to Rs 11,200 crore — a Rs 2,300 crore decline from 2019-20 — as months-long lockdowns and restricted movement devastated the state economy.
• Tourism arrivals collapsed by over 80%, from 38 million to barely 7 million, devastating the livelihoods of lakhs of families dependent on the pilgrim and hospitality economy.
• The Char Dham yatra was suspended entirely in 2020, shutting down the economic ecosystem of thousands of porters, guides, dharamshalas, and small businesses along the routes.
• COVID-19 health expenditure added approximately Rs 1,500 crore in unplanned spending on testing, treatment centres, PPE, oxygen supplies, and quarantine facilities.
• MGNREGA expenditure surged to Rs 1,800 crore as returning migrant workers and jobless tourism workers sought wage employment in rural areas.
• Thousands of migrant workers from other states stranded in Uttarakhand's industrial corridor required relief camps, food, and eventual transport assistance.
• Revenue deficit ballooned to Rs 4,500 crore as revenue collapsed while committed expenditure (salaries, pensions, debt servicing) remained unchanged.
• Fiscal deficit reached Rs 7,000 crore at approximately 5.8% of GSDP, the worst in the state's history, as the centre permitted additional borrowing under the Atmanirbhar package.
• The centre provided an additional Rs 2,500 crore borrowing window under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyan, linked to reform conditions.
• Education sector pivoted to online learning with Rs 300 crore for digital infrastructure, though connectivity gaps in hill areas left thousands of students unreachable.
• Pharmaceutical manufacturing proved resilient, actually increasing output due to pandemic-driven demand for medicines, sanitisers, and healthcare products.
• Agriculture sector showed unexpected resilience as returning migrants revived farming in some previously abandoned hill terraces.
• The state leveraged its natural advantage by promoting Uttarakhand as a 'work from mountains' destination, attracting remote workers from cities.