BHUBANESWAR: The state government on Thursday presented the first supplementary budget of Rs 16,800 crore for 2022-23 with focus on water resources, panchayati raj and drinking water, health, rural development, education and disaster management sectors.
Panchayati Raj Minister Pradip Amat presented the budget on behalf of Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari. The budget exercise aimed to keep the rural population and farmers happy by allocating a substantial chunk of funds for these two sections.
While Rs 552 crore has been allocated for rural housing, wage employment, provision of drinking water and rural infrastructure, Rs 200 crore is earmarked for assistance to farmers who suffered crop loss during kharif season in 2021.
Amat said keeping in view the needs and expectations of the people in a welfare state, the supplementary budget is aimed at fulfilling the requirement of funds for public welfare and development activities mainly through re-allocation of available resources and receipt of tied up resources from various sources.
The budget is projected to maintain revenue surplus, contain fiscal deficit within three per cent (pc) of the Gross State Domestic Project (GSDP) and maintain debt-GSDP ratio at the year end within the mandated 25 pc. Till September 2022, the debt-GSDP ratio is 12.6 pc and the interest payment to revenue receipt is 2.8 pc.
The minister said capital outlay for 2022-23 will exceed 5.5 pc of the GSDP including the supplementary budget. “This will help boost the economic growth and enable the state to carry forward different developmental and welfare programmes,” he said.
The supplementary budget includes Rs 4,934 crore administrative expenditure, Rs 9,200 crore programme expenditure, Rs 2610.46 crore disaster response fund and Rs 55.54 crore transfer from state. The allocations under administrative expenditure and transfers to local bodies will be financed against adjustments and surrender.