Ranchi: Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon who tabled an annual budget of Jharkhand worth a total of Rs 91,277 crore for the fiscal 2021-22 said that the focus of the budget is to strengthen life and livelihood.
Addressing a press conference after tabling the budget in the assembly Dr Oraon said that that Covid-19 has adversely impacted the internal resources of the state and on the other hand the share in the central taxes has been also reduced.
He further said that in the name of pending money of the DVC money from the consolidated funds of the state were deducted from the RBI which was not correct, however despite that the state government is taking all possible measures to increase its resources during the year 2021-22.
Dr Oraon said that in the budget capital expenditure has been increased as it was needed to increase the revenue of the state. He said that like he had earlier mentioned in this budget focus has been accorded to the social sector for which a sum of Rs 33,625.72 crore has been allocated.
Highlighting some of the key features of the budget he said that for the current fiscal a sum of Rs 1200 crore has been set aside for providing the farm loan waiver while no new taxes have been proposed in the budget.
Highlighting some of the key features of the budget he said that for the first time provision of Consolidated Sinking Fund has been made in the budget in which a sum of Rs 303.87 crore has been invested which will help to raise the credit rating of the state. In the fiscal year 2021-22 a sum of Rs 472 crore has been made for the fund. He said that money from the fund will be used in time of distress, natural calamities and disasters.
Another key feature of this year’s budget was ‘Outcome Budget’. He said that during the fiscal year 2021-22 outcome budget of 21 demands of 11 departments has been presented. Outcome budget is a pre expenditure estimate which is spent will be brought into public eye and it will also help to bring transparency and answerability in financial transactions further an analysis will be made as to how the provisions made in the budget benefited the people. In the next financial year the outcome budget of other departments will be presented.
The Finance Minister said that under Mnrega 1,159 lakh man-days were created and from its own resources the wages under Mnrega has been increased from Rs 194 to Rs 225 and on this an additional burden of Rs 331 crore will be incurred by the state government.
He said that a total allocation of Rs 18,653 crore has been made jointly for the rural development department, water resources, agriculture and animal husbandry and cooperative department worth Rs 18,653 crore which despite the pandemic was more than 11 percent than the previous fiscal.
Dr Oraon said that to provide nutritious and sufficient food the new scheme ‘Guruji Kitchen Yojana’ is being started under which apart from the 377 Dal-Bhaat Centers, other new centers will be opened where people will be served good quality nutritious food at just Rs 5.