Bhubaneswar: Projecting economic growth in the range of 8-8.5 per cent, the Odisha government on Friday presented the annual budget of Rs 1.39 lakh crore for the 2019-20 fiscal. The outlay of the state budget, tabled by Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari in the assembly, is about 15.8 per cent more than that of 2018-19.
Noting that Odisha's economy is expected to grow at 8.35 per cent in 2018-19 -- surpassing the all India growth rate of 7.2 per cent -- he said the outlay is proposed to be financed by revenue receipts of Rs 1,15,266 crore and Rs 23,734 crore through borrowings and other receipts. The total administrative expenditure is estimated at Rs 57,310 crore, which includes Rs 25,500 crore for salaries, Rs 13,300 crore for pension, Rs 6,500 crore for interest payment and Rs 4,840 crore for maintenance of capital assets.
Total revenue receipts for 2019-20 include the state's tax revenue of Rs 33,000 crore, non-tax revenue of Rs 12,500 crore, Odisha's share in central taxes of Rs 39,207 crore and Rs 30,559 crore as grants from the Centre. The budget focuses on boosting agriculture productivity, expanding irrigation, improving health care, education and skill development and drinking water, among others, Pujari said. Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik hailed the budget and said the aspirations of the people of Odisha have been reflected in it.
"The government is fulfilling all the promises made during the last election. Biju Swastya Kalyan and Kaliya yojana for farmers are pro-farmers," Patnaik said. Patnaik said major manifesto promises -- expansion of KALIA scheme and inclusion of all eligible farmers, landless labourers and sharecroppers, and health cover for women up to Rs 10 lakh -- have been fulfilled in the budget. "Overall it is a pro-farmer, pro-woman, pro-poor and growth oriented budget," he said. The finance minister said the budget allocated Rs 23,760 crore for development of SCs and STs for identified schemes, followed by Rs 20,714 crore for agriculture and allied sectors.
Pujari said an outlay of Rs 5,611 crore is made for the Krushak Assistance for Livelihood and Income Augmentation (KALIA) to 75 lakh farmers, while Rs 800 crore has been provided towards interest subvention on crop loans to cooperatives, as well as commercial banks. He said Rs 19,492 crore has been allocated for the education and skill sectors, while Rs 2,550 crore earmarked for the Samagra Sikhya Abhiyan and Rs 844 core for the mid-day meal scheme. A sum of Rs 1,203 crore has been allocated for the Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) for 2019-20, Rs 1,365 crore for the National Health Mission and Rs 578 crore for the Mukhya Mantri Swasthya Seva Mission.
A higher outlay of Rs 2,740 crore has been proposed for rural water supply, and Rs 385 crore on urban water supply. The budget allocated Rs 2,500 crore for the rural component and Rs 300 crore for the urban component of the Swachh Bharat Mission, the minister said. Under the housing segment, Rs 4,820 crore has been proposed for the convergence of the PMAY Gramin and Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana. For women and child development, Rs 3,457 crore has been allocated for various schemes and programmes. The state government proposed a budgetary allocation of Rs 1,028 crore for the Odisha Food Security Scheme.
