By Sandeep Pattnaik
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Bhubaneswar: Odisha Finance Minister Pradip Kumar Amat has presented a total Annual budget to the tune of Rs 84,487.77 crore for the state pertaining to the fiscal year 2015-16. Out of the total budgetary outlay, State’s annual plan component has been fixed at Rs 40150 cr and the outlay for the Central Plan and Centrally Sponsored Plan is proposed at Rs 349.55 cr & Rs 31.91 cr respectively. The rest Non-plan component for the State has been pegged at Rs 43.956.32 cr.
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Similarly Agriculture budget outlay for the fiscal year has been proposed at Rs 10903.62 crore this time. It was Rs 9542.22 cr in 2014-15 last fiscal year. Out of the current agri budget, the Plan component was kept at Rs 2578.27 cr and Rs 546.11 cr under Non-plan category.
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This time, a significant amount of Rs 11,968.60 cr has been earmarked for Education followed by the second highest allocation to Agriculture and allied sectors (of Rs 10903.62 cr). Out of total allocation to education sector, Rs 9979.49 cr is towards School and Mass Education and Rs 1989.11 cr towards Higher Education, the budget estimates for FY 2015-16 revealed.
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Out of the total allocation made in the current general budget towards Social sector spending, besides the Education sector, a sum of Rs 3855.58 cr was proposed towards H& FW, Rs 7057.10 cr for Panchayati Raj, Rs 2372.34 cr for SC and ST Development and Rs 4160.63 allocation kept for W&CD department.
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Similarly the most vital Infrastructure sector (after Agriculture) has got budgetary outlay of Rs 14232.58 crore in the FY’16 general budget this time.
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With the Government moving towards formulating a new Industrial Policy Resolution, 2015 to promote industrialisation in the state with a specific focus on Manufacturing, the budgetary outlay for the sector has been pegged at Rs 310.68 cr in the current fiscal year budget.
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Similarly the budget has proposed Rs 910.15 cr towards Skill Development and Employment Generation, Rs 718.62 cr for Forest and Environment, Rs 52.58 cr for Science & Technology, Rs 175.04 cr IT, Rs 1385.40 cr for Planning and Co-ordination dept, Rs 1559.44 cr for Food Supplies and Consumer welfare dept, Rs 226.07 cr for Transport and Rs 82.07 cr for Commerce dept under both Plan and Non-plan category.
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General Services sectors including Home, Revenue & Disaster Management, General Administration and Law has got a total budgetary allocation of Rs 6481.85 cr. Besides, the current fiscal budget provides around Rs 400 cr for other sectors like; I&PR, Spots and Youth Services, Culture and Tourism, the budget paper presented in the assembly revealed.
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Keeping in view the upcoming grand Nabakalebar this year, Rs 92 Cr was provided in the General Budget that includes, Rs 67 cr for improving power infrastructure to ensure uninterrupted power supply during the festival. A sum of Rs 40 lakh was provided for free transportation of pilgrims from Malatipatapur Bus Stand to Puri Town during the festival.
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The separate Agri budget [incepted since 2013-14] for this fiscal year of Rs 10903.62 cr includes a major allocation of Rs 6212.15 cr for Water Resources department, besides, Rs 100 cr each for Seed and Fertiliser corpus fund, Rs 554.54 cr towards Rashtriya Krishi Vikas Yojana (RKVY), Rs 90 cr for Biju Krushak Kalyan Yojana (BKKY), Rs 624.80 cr for Fisheries & Animal Resources Development, among others.
