State council of ministers approves budget for 2011-12

The Orissa council of ministers, chaired by chief minister Naveen Patnaik, today approved the state budget for 2011-12. The size of the budget is estimated at about Rs 46,000 crore, the highest ever outlay since independence.

The state budget for the current fiscal was pegged at Rs 39,896 crore.

The budget will be presented in the state assembly on February 18.

Out of the total projected budget outlay for 2011-12, the annual plan outlay is estimated at Rs 15,000 crore which is 34 per cent higher than the current year’s plan size of Rs 11,200 crore.

Briefing the media persons after the council of ministers’ meeting the state finance minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadai said, the government will continue to lay emphasis on social sectors like health, education, women and child development, rural infrastructure, tribal welfare and water resources.

He said, the government will make adequate provisions for flagship programmes like Biju KBK Yojana, Gopabandhu Grameen Yojana, Biju Gram Jyoti Yojana, Madhubabu pension scheme etc.

Keeping in view the massive crop loss due to drought like situation during khariff cultivation and untimely rains in December last year, the budget will have special provisions for the farmers in the state.

He said, the growth in revenue collection in the April to December period of this fiscal has been 26.72 percent compared to 5.94 percent in the corresponding period of the previous year. The state has achieved 73.71 percent of the targeted tax collection by the end of December, 2010.

The total expenditure, Plan and Non-Plan in the said period, is pegged at Rs 21615.73 crore, which is 54.18 per cent of the total provision of Rs 39,896.60 crore for 2010-2011.