Navi Mumbai: NMMC budget for 2022-23 to focus on health, online education infrastructure; likely to be presented on February 18

The budget for the financial year 2022-23 of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation (NMMC) is likely to be presented on February 18. Civic chief Abhijit Bangar, who is also the administrator of the civic body will present the budget a second time.

The term of the corporation ended in April 2020 and the election for the new representatives of the corporation could not happen due to the outbreak of the pandemic. Currently, the civic body is being run by the administrator.

For the financial year 2021-22, civic chief Bangar had presented a Rs 4825 crores estimated budget for the financial with a surplus of Rs 2.7 crores after spending Rs 4822.3 crores. This year, too, the size of the budget will be around Rs 5,000 crores with a focus on health and cleanliness.

The civic body had faced an acute shortage of manpower during the Covid management and it is setting up a medical college and nursing centre. The civic body is likely to allocate a major part of the health budget for the medical college.

During this financial year, the civic body is likely to start the supply of around 40 MLD tertiary treatment of sewage water to TTC Industrial area and a revenue of around Rs 15 crores is expected.

According to officials, the civic body is unlikely to introduce any new tax or increase in the existing rate.

The civic body will continue its focus on cleanliness survey and there will be an allocation in the budget. In the present financial year, the civic body spent a lot of money on beautification including the painting of slums and walls across the city.

Apart from around Rs 2000 crores GST grant from the state, the civic body will rely on property tax collection. Despite the pandemic, the civic body is estimated to collect Rs 600 crores during the present financial year. The property tax collection had severely affected during 2020-21 due to the COVID pandemic. In addition, the civic administration expects around Rs 600 crores from various grants from the state and central government.

The civic body will also focus on online education infrastructure and there will be an allocation in the budget.