COVID-19 impact: Revenue fall to delay in Odisha government's 'Balaram Yojana' launch
BHUBANESWAR: As revenue generation has come down by nearly 23 per cent during the current financial year due to Covid-19 pandemic, doubts have cropped up over implementation of several schemes, including the recently announced Balaram Yojana by the government.
The pandemic has crippled the State economy as both tax and non-tax revenue generation has decreased by 23 per cent.
The total revenue collection till June in the current financial year has dropped to Rs 8,204 crore compared to Rs 10,645 crore during the corresponding period in the last fiscal.
At this juncture, launching of Balaram scheme, which aims to provide crop loans to seven lakh landless farmers during the next two years, has come under severe questioning.
The Government maintains that Rs 1,040 crore has been set aside for the scheme which will be implemented during the next two years.
However, looking at the financial situation of the State because of the impact of the pandemic, Opposition political parties have alleged that the fate of the scheme will be same as the KALIA, which the government had to discontinue.
Sources said when the priority is creation of health infrastructure across the State to deal with the Covid situation, launching of the scheme is likely to be delayed.
According to official sources, programme expenditure of all departments till June has come down by 5.06 pc compared to the same period in the last fiscal.
However, expenditure in social sectors including health and family welfare programmes increased over Rs 1000 crore.
While social sector expenditure was Rs 4,225 crore last year till June, it has increased to Rs 5,281 crore this year.
Spending on food security programmes has also increased to Rs 1067 crore this year against last year’s Rs 305 crore during the same period.
Announcement of Balaram scheme also goes against the austerity measures announced by the Government on July 7.
The Government notification said no new state schemes/projects will be taken up by the administrative departments except the Health and Family Welfare.
The notification said if any new scheme is essentially required for emergent public service, it can be taken up only after appraisal by the Economic Finance Committee/Standing Finance Committee following the due procedure.
However, Opposition political parties have alleged that Balaram was a hastily announced scheme to divert attention from the prevailing situation.
