Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Kalikho Pul today presented a Rs 367.58 crore deficit budget for 2016-17, putting a major thrust on social sectors without imposing any new taxes.
Pul, who also holds the finance portfolio, announced various measures for prudent fiscal management.
Out of a total receipt of Rs 12,805 crore, the plan size for 2016-17 has been fixed at Rs 6,569 crore, 14 per cent more than the plan size of the current fiscal.
The non-plan expenditure for the financial year has been projected at Rs 7,338.89 crore, he said, adding that the deficit of Rs 367.58 crore is 1.80 per cent of the Gross State Domestic Product.
"With the objective of achieving accelerated, innovative and inclusive growth, our government will ensure that every penny of public fund is utilised in the best public interest of the people of the state," the chief minister said in his budget speech.
Highlighting various developmental initiatives, Pul said that the government proposed an allocation of Rs 973.97 crore to develop the health sector, while an allocation of Rs 1,985.98 crore has been proposed for the education sector.
Pul said that the government proposed to provide stipend of Rs 1,400 per month to students pursuing BSc (Nursing) ANM and GNM courses.
It will also give a book grant of Rs 3,000 for BSc nursing students, Rs 2,000 for GNM students and Rs 1,000 for ANM students per annum.
(REOPENS CCM4)
An amount of Rs three lakh as 'excursion fund per
GNM/ANM schools would be provided from the financial year 2016-17, he added.
In the education sector the budget proposed to create additional posts of 184 teaching staff and 166 non-teaching staff in all the existing colleges and polytechnics.
The budget also proposed to create 171 posts of PGTs, junior librarians, lab assistants for 27 higher secondary and secondary schools to achieve the norms of pupil-teacher ratio as prescribed under Right to Education Act.
Pul disclosed that every school would be provided with 24X7 power and water supply besides enhancement of stipends and book grants.
He said the government had proposed to construct 40,000 individual house hold latrine (IHHL), 600 solid liquid waste management (SLWM) units and 650 coomunity sanitary complexes (CSC) in the ensuing financial year under Swachh Bharat Mission (Gramin).
The budget also proposed to introduce a scheme of soft loan to skilled persons for self employment finance.
The chief minister further informed that the government has allocated an amount of additional Rs 68.
26 crore for raising the minimum wages of labourers from existing 4,500 to 6000 per month.
In the agriculture sector, the chief minister proposed an allocation of 182 crore to streamline and encourage production of food grains besides proposal for developing a robust procurement and market linkage programme in tandem with the arrival of railway in the state and completion of major highway projects.
He said, in tune with the government's commitment to develop the horticulture sector in the state, the government proposed an allocation of Rs 27 crore in the sector under State Development Agenda which is 500 per cent more than the last financial year.
Moreover, he said, budget allocation of Rs 11 crore had been proposed for integrated Animal Husbandry & Veterinary and Dairy development besides Rs 5.86 crore for pisciculture development programme.
