Odisha fiscal performance shows upward trend

Odisha Government's fiscal performance has reflected an upward trend by the end of December last year, in both its major components of revenue generation and utilisation of budgeted funds, informed Principal Secretary Finance Ashok Kumar Meena on Tuesday.

While reviewing fiscal performances of various departments up to December 2018, Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi also directed the departments to avoid parking of money in any account and draw only the actual expenditure from the budget allocation.

Meena appraised that the budget utilisation in different programmes being executed through various departments has recorded a growth of around 26 per cent by end of December 2018 with actual expenditure of Rs.39,820 crore.

"The total programme expenditure in Social sector by end of December of the current financial year has grown by 56 per cent over the corresponding period of 2017-18. The actual expenditure under this head crossed Rs.21,245 crore against the last year spending of Rs.13,912 crore during the same period," read a press release issued by Odisha government.

The state government also informed that the total expenditure in the infrastructure sector has reached Rupees 8513 crore marking a growth of around 3 per cent over the corresponding period of last fiscal. Similarly, the total expenditure in Agriculture and allied sector has touched Rs 8201 crore.

Further outlining growth in the total revenue generation, the Odisha government informed that the total revenue generation has also grown around 19 per cent by end of December 2018.

"The total revenue generation by December end in last fiscal year (2017-18) was around Rs.25023 cr against which current year collection up to same period has been Rs. 29665 cr. The revenue from non-tax sources have grown by 60% with a total collection of Rs.8556 crore while the revenue from own-tax sources has grown by 7% with a total collection of Rs.21,109 crore," the Government informed.