KOCHI: The district panchayat’s budget for 2023–24 places stress on solving waste management issues and creating more employment opportunities. The budget presented by panchayat vice president Sanitha Rahim projects revenue of Rs 150.45 crore and expenditure of Rs 145.82 crore, with a Rs 4.62 crore surplus, after adjusting for reserves.
Apart from resolving waste management issues, the budget gives priority to making the district transgender-friendly. Infrastructure development, along with social security, housing, agriculture, health, women’s safety, education, sanitation, and development and diaspora welfare activities, has also been prioritized.
“Comprehensive plans have been prepared, and funds have been set aside to resolve waste management issues in the district. A special action plan will be formulated to solve the waste problem in the district within a short period of time, and all types of waste will be jointly collected with the help of the grama panchayats, in collaboration with the district administration,” Sanitha said while presenting the budget.
She said a BlueArmy will be formed on the model of the Haritha Karma Sena to clean water bodies and prevent their fresh contamination.
“The project will be implemented in a few coastal panchayats on an experimental basis. A motorised boat and other equipment will be provided here. The shielding project will be implemented to prevent the dumping of waste into water bodies and to build barbed-wire fences,” Sanitha added.
The budget allocated Rs 1 crore for schemes aimed at improving the services of allopathic, ayurvedic and homoeopathic hospitals, medicines, and infrastructural development. Rs 50 lakh has also been included for palliative care.
Interestingly, the budget also proposes a facilitation centre -- ‘Hamara Ghar’ -- for guest workers. A subsidy of Rs 2 crore will be given to the Women Entrepreneur Corridor to encourage women entrepreneurs. The budget includes multi-pronged schemes for the cultivation of barren land in the district and Rs 1.5 crore for lease farming of paddy fields that owners are unwilling to cultivate with their consent.
A special monitoring committee consisting of agriculture officers, farmers’ representatives, and people’s representatives will be constituted at the block and district levels to monitor fallow cultivation. However, district panchayat president Ullas Thomas said the state has cut funding for road maintenance. “This will affect the repair of roads under the district panchayat,” said Ullas.