THIRUVANANTHAPURAM The Thiruvananthapuram district panchayat on Thursday presented the budget for the 2024-25 financial year with a total plan outlay of Rs 837.04 crore with a projected surplus of Rs 3.8 crore.
The budget gives major thrust to welfare schemes, including breakfast for students in LP, UP schools in the district, and the development of animal husbandry, agriculture and health sectors.
District panchayat vice-president A Shylaja Bheegam, who presented the budget, said that the care home under the local body at Venjaramoodu will be upgraded this year. “The panchayat is planning to add 25 more beds at the care home which takes care of abandoned and cured patients who were mentally ill,” she said.
Early intervention centres at hospitals to detect autism before birth, ayurveda care for palliative patients, mobile veterinary units, etc, are some of the major highlights in the budget. District panchayat president D Suresh Kumar said that Ayur Santhwanam is one of the new initiatives being implemented this year.
“There are elderly and palliative patients who are bedridden and by launching Ayur Santhwanam, we will be giving them ayurveda treatment at home. The beneficiaries will be identified via community and primary health centres. A mobile team comprising a doctor, nurse and other health staff will visit them and give ayurveda care,” said Suresh Kumar.
The budget has set aside Rs 1.75 crore for giving breakfast to lower and upper primary students. “There are around 71 schools under our jurisdiction and we are in the process of identifying the beneficiaries. This is one of the key projects in this year’s budget,” said Suresh Kumar.
“Drug abuse among children is on the rise and now, students are going to the nearby shops in the surrounding areas to buy things and get in touch with peddlers. To avoid this, we will start kiosks at schools so that the students can buy things from the school compound itself,” said Shylaja.
The ‘No Dowry No Worry’ campaign is another project announced in the budget. It aims at sensitising the public on the negative impact of the system.
Fund allotment
Agriculture - Rs 3.52 crore
Water conservation: Rs 2.2 crore
Animal husbandry: Rs 4.81 crore
Housing scheme: Rs 15.67 crore
Women development: Rs 5.38 crore
SC/ST : Rs 23.72 crore
Study room for SC/ST students: Rs 2.96 crore
Comprehensive colony development: Rs 2 crore
Career guidance and motivation class: Rs 1.15 crore
Vanajyothi - night class for students: Rs 20 lakh
Animal Birth Control (ABC) and anti-rabies activities: Rs 10 lakh
Diary development: Rs 1.5 crore
Fisheries: Rs 65 lakh
Local financial development: Rs 4.51 crore
Financial aid for woman groups working in the coir sector: Rs 50 lakh
Financial aid for woman groups working in the handloom sector: Rs 9 lakh
Silkloom sector: Rs 25 lakh
Kiosks for Kudumbashree: Rs 30 lakh
Education: Rs14 crore
Scholarship for disabled: Rs 3.18 lakh
Vidyajyothi which offers help for SSLC HSS students in their studies: Rs 27 lakh
Granthapura - an initiative that aims at cultivating reading habits among students: Rs 16 crore
Vanajyothi project, which aims at preventing dropout among tribal students: Rs 21.6 lakh
Multimedia library with audio-visual facility and digital libraries at schools: Rs 50 lakh
Breakfast for LP and UP students: Rs 1.75 crore
Kudumbashree run kiosks at schools: Rs 30 lakh
Health: Rs 11.6 crore
Aswas project- free dialysis treatment for patients from financially backward families: Rs 90 lakh
Medicine for kidney and liver patients: Rs 70 lakh
Nutritious food for HIV patients: Rs 25 lakh
Social Justice: Rs 7.42 crores