THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With the assembly polls drawing close, the LDF Government in Kerala today presented its final budget giving thrust to welfare measures, price-control programmes and infrastructure development.
Besides raising minimum welfare pension to a wide spectrum of the under privileged to Rs 400, state Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac unveiled a new pension scheme for domestic aides, a majority of whom are women
The budget for 2011-12 presented in the assembly, also proposed to measures to strengthen the social security net for the below poverty line (BPL) sections bringing 4 million families under a free insurance scheme.
Seeking to insulate the poor from the impact of price rise, 40 lakh families would be provided rice at Rs 2 a kg.Stepping up the state-subsidised distribution network, 3000 ration shops across the state would be made franchisees of the state Civil Supplies Corporation, through a variety of food and articles and basic provisions would be provided.
It also proposed a special package for improving roads around the state and building new ones.
The budget made special provisions for improving amenities in five major cities including the state capital. Under this Thiruvananthapuram will be given Rs 250 crore, Kochi Rs 202 crore, Kozhikode Rs 180 crore, Thrissur Rs 142 crore and Kollam Rs 120 crore.
In a bid to evade any type of tax evasion and make tax payment more confortable for traders, it was proposed to simplify proceedures to file tax returns by introducing five forms in place of the 25 forms now.
All types of bricks,organic fertilizers, nylon plastic ropes have been exculded completely from tax net.
Luxuary tax on Cable TV Operators have been withdrawn in the budget.
Besides lowering the tax on sand from 12.5 to 4 per cent, the budget announced a new tax amnesty package for ailing Playwodd and Ayurveda Drug Industry.
Giving a financial indications for the 2011-12, the budget said the salary bill for government employees in the state would increase from Rs.11130 crores to Rs.16326 crores.
Pension expenditure would increase from Rs.5788 crores to Rs.7311 crores, total public debt of the state would decrease to 29.03 per from the existing 29.52 per cent from state's income.
In a bid to evade any type of tax evasion and make tax payment more comfortable for traders, it was proposed to simplify procedures to file tax returns by introducing five forms in place of the 25 forms now.
All types of bricks,organic fertilizers, nylon plastic ropes have been exculded completely from tax net.
Luxury tax on Cable TV Operators have been withdrawn in the budget. Besides lowering the tax on sand from 12.5 to 4 per cent, the budget announced a new tax amnesty package for ailing Plywood and Ayurveda Drug Industry.
Giving a financial indication for 2011-12, the budget said the salary bill for government employees in the state would increase from Rs.11130 crore to Rs.16326 crore.
Pension expenditure would increase from Rs.5788 crore to Rs.7311 crore, total public debt of the state would decrease to 29.03 per cent from the existing 29.52 per cent.
