BHOPAL: While revised and estimated expenditure of the state government has grown from Rs 1.56 lakh crore in 2016-17 to Rs 1.69 lakh crore in 2017-18, allocations for many key departments have been slashed. Allocations for agriculture, energy, industries and co-operatives sectors have been reduced. Ironically all these sectors are in the priority list of the government in general and the chief minister in particular. The allocation for publicity wing of the state government has also been curtailed.
The commerce, industries and employment departments have been the worst sufferer. Its allocation has been cut from Rs 3,749 crore in 2016-17 to Rs 929 crore in 2017-18. However, a separate allocation of Rs 776 crore has been made for newly-constituted department of Minor, Small and Medium Enterprises. The allocation for rural industries department has been cut from Rs 282 crore to Rs 257 crore.
The budget for energy department has been slashed from Rs 21,183 crore to Rs 16,801 crore and that of revenue from Rs 4,858 crore to Rs 3,785 crore. The co-operatives will have to make do with Rs 1,676 crore in the next fiscal as compared to Rs 2,054 crore in the current one. The allocation for farmer welfare and agriculture department has been reduced from Rs 4,797 crore to Rs 4,541 crore and of public relations from Rs 369 crore to Rs 300 crore.
Other departments which have been given lesser allocations include planning, economic and statistics, panchayats, and food and civil supplies.
In comparison, allocation for home department has been raised from 5,055 crore to Rs 6,304 crore, of public health and family welfare from Rs 4,886 crore to Rs 5,672 crore and of UAD from Rs 9,394 crore to Rs 11,489 crore.
A spokesperson for the state government said that allocation for farmer welfare department was lesser this year as last year Rs 2,500 crore were provisioned for compensation to farmers whose crops were destroyed by poor monsoon and hail storm etc. “This year, we are hoping for a good monsoon”, he said.
