Orissa Budget: Naveen Patnaik scripts R60,000-cr sop opera for state
Presenting a please-all Rs 60,303 crore Budget in Naveen Patnaik-ruled state, Orissa finance minister Prasana Acharya doled out largesse to the voters keeping the assembly election, due in May 2014, in mind.
Pocket money for youth, free mobiles for farmers, pre-paid sim cards for fishermen, blankets to aged people are what the government has promised in the Budget.
Taking a cue from Karnataka, the state government for the first time presented the Budget in two parts—Agriculture Budget Part I and General Budget Part II—in the House.
The Budget provisions for agriculture and allied sectors such as fisheries and animal resources, cooperation and irrigation have been incorporated in the Agriculture Budget. Announcing a new programme—Biju Youth Empowerment Yojana—the state government has provided R3 crore in the Budget to give a monthly allowance of R1,500 to at least 5,000 youngsters in each district and sub-divisional headquarters. Similarly, Rs 2 crore has been earmarked to provide free mobile phones to at least 20,000 farmers under the Digital Mandi Yojana. Over 1 lakh fishermen would be provided with free mobile sim cards with a fund of R4.60 crore. The state government has provided R72 crore to provide blankets at the rate of R200 to each of the pensioners covered under social security network.
The Budget has earmarked R100 crore to help at least 1 lakh Women Self-Help Groups (WSHGs) with R10,000 each during the year 2013-14. Similarly, each Youth Clubs would be provided with R10,000 each. Acharya asserted that all parameters of financial discipline have
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