Finance Minister Prasanna Acharya on Friday laid in the Assembly the first Supplementary Budget to the tune of Rs 7,144.58 crore for the 2013-14 fiscal, with higher allocation of funds to cater to the need for the ongoing relief and restoration operations in 18 districts.
Since the Budget was brought ahead of the upcoming 2014 General Elections, it made provisions for various populist and welfare schemes. Rs 2,074 has been provided in the non-plan sector and Rs 200 crore in the plan sector towards additional requirement for relief, repair and restoration work in the cyclone and flood affected areas.
“The provision has been made in anticipation of release of Rs 1, 800 crore from the NDRF, Rs 274 .36 crore from the SDRF, besides assistance from the World Bank and ADB,” said Finance Minister Acharya after laying the Budget. Additional Chief Secretary (Finance) Upendra Behera also said that the Budget provisions included tied up resources of Rs 3,507 crore (including the NDRF fund of Rs 1,800 crore), adjustment with Gridco of Rs 796.70 crore, saving of Rs 2,641 crore and additional revenue of Rs 200 crore.
Acharya said that keeping in view the availability of resources and burgeoning needs and expectation of the people, the Budget would definitely fulfill the required funds for public welfare and developmental activities of the State. While a provision of funds has been made for post Budget decisions relating to new schemes and programmes, the Budget also accommodates additional requirement for ongoing Central projects and Central sponsored plan schemes, recoupment of advance taken from Odisha Contingency Fund and additional requirement for ongoing State plan schemes like Madhubabu Pension Yojana, External Aided Projects and RIDF etc.
The Budget under non-plan sector provided Rs 21.79 crore for input subsidy on seeds and fertiliser to farmers in cyclone affected areas, Rs 4.5 crore for purchase of generator sets for cyclone affected panchyats of Ganjam district, Rs 32.18 crore for Pre-Matric scholarship for ST and SC students, Rs 7.20 core towards modernization of police force and Rs 13.44 crore for enhancement of sitting fees and honararium to elected members of Gram Panchyats, Panchyat Samitis and Zilla Parishads.
Similarly, the Budget under plan schemes has made provisions in respect of a number of post-Budget announcements and new interventions, the Finance Minister said. While Rs 30 crore has been provided for supply of laptops to pass out Plus II meritorious students, Rs 6.25 crore has been made for self-defence training to girl students. Rs 30 crore has been earmarked for assistance to the cyclone and flood affected students for school uniform and text books and Rs 14.52 crore towards maintenance allowance (Post-Matric scholarship) for ST and SC boarders.
The Budget has also earmarked Rs 233.56 crore towards the State share in cost of land in the Bhedabahal Ultra Mega Power Plant (UMPP). To give fiscal relief to the power distribution companies in the State, the Government has provided Rs 796.70 crore for one time settlement (OTS) of arrear in electricity dues, OlIC and share capital investment in Gridco in lieu of reduced RST during 2011-12.
To a question, Finance Minister said that there has been an upward trend in collection of both tax and nontax revenue. However, he admitted that there was a marginal fall in collection of mining revenue during the current financial year. While the tax revenue has registered an increase by 13.29 per cent up to October last, the non-tax revenue has increased by 13.56 per cent.
The State has received a total of Rs 25,303 crore from tax, non-tax, Central share and Central grants during the April-October period of 2013, he said.