BHUBANESWAR: Even as allocation has been enhanced in the 2015-16 Budget for several populist schemes run by the State Government, provision for some key departments, including Health and Family Welfare, has been slashed giving rise to strong criticism.
At a time when jaundice has spread to many areas of the State including Sambalpur and Cuttack, and swine flu is threatening to affect more people, allocation for Health and Family Welfare department has been brought down from Rs 3897.74 crore last year to Rs 3855.88 crore for 2015-16.
There is more than Rs 200 crore cut in the Budget for Higher Education department which has all the universities and colleges under it. Allocation for the department has come down from Rs 2199.41 crore in 2014-15 to Rs 1989.11 crore. Out of this, distribution of laptops, self-defence training to girl students and scholarships to students pursuing professional education will eat up more than Rs 100 crore.
Surprisingly, the State Government has reduced allocations for two departments, ST and SC Development and Women and Child Development, which deal with welfare of more than half of the population. While Budget for ST and SC Development department has been slashed by nearly Rs 80 crore, the cut in Women and Child Development department is more than Rs 500 crore.
While important departments have been subjected to Budget cuts because of financial crunch, populist schemes have been provided funds without any restriction. Allocation under the rice at Rs 1 per kg scheme has increased from Rs 1327.16 crore to Rs 1402.99 crore. Besides, Rs 700 crore has been provided under Biju Pucca Ghar Yojana in the Budget against Rs 330 crore in 2014-15.
Criticising the Budget cut in social sector, president of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) Prasad Harichandan alleged that the farm sector has also been ignored. Though a separate Budget is being presented for the agriculture sector, there is nothing to tackle the distress sale of paddy and increasing number of suicide by farmers, he said.
The unemployment problem and large-scale migration of workers from the State have received no attention, Harichandan said and added that the problem of growing regional imbalance has been ignored. The debt burden of the State will reach a staggering Rs 56,640.13 crore by the end of 2015-16 because of mismanagement of finances, Prasad said at a media conference here on Tuesday.
Describing the budget as anti-poor and anti-farmer, State unit president of BJP KV Singhdeo also criticised the cut in allocation for important departments. He said the social sector allocation has increased by only 8 per cent which means in real terms, there is no increase. This coupled with the Economic Survey revelation of very high IMR and MMR will take the Human development index of the State down in the ladder, he added.
Slash in share
