First supplementary budget for Rs 7587.69 crore presented

Bhubaneswar, Nov 26 (UNI) Orissa Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadhei today presented the first supplementary budget of Rs 7587.69 crore for 2008-09.

Presenting the budget, Mr Ghadhei said the allocation made in the budget would help in the economic growth of the state.

Mr Ghadhei said the size of the budget was higher than the size of the supplementary budget, presented in 2006-07 and 2007-08.

While a sum of Rs 3654.23 crore budget was made in 2006-07, the size of the supplementary budget in 2007-08 was Rs 3737.73 crore.

Mr Ghadhei said in the current supplemetary budget while an allocation of Rs 5388.93 crore was made for unplanned sector, Rs 1888.89 crore was made under the state plan, Rs 98.78 crore for Central schemes and Rs 211.09 crore for centrally-sponsored schemes.

The Finance Minister said in the supplementary budget a sum of Rs 2255.36 crore was made for the implementation of the recommendations of the sixth Pay Commission in the state and Rs 10,40 crore for the construction of residence for the employees.

In the supplementary budget, a sum of Rs 499 crore was made for the implementation of the Rs 2 kg a rice, introduced since August 2008, while fund allocation for the Orissa calamity relief fund was increased from Rs 150 crore to Rs 400 crore and the state plan was increased from Rs 7100 crore to Rs 7500 crore.

Additional fund was also allocated for the implementation of the Sarva Sikhya Abhijan to give Carreer Advancement Scale to lecturers of private college and to meet the additional expenses likely to be made from January next year due to the rise in the pension of freedom fighters from Rs 800 to Rs 1000 per month.

More funds were also allocated among others to the Western Orissa Development Council, Kasturaba Gandhi Girls schools, 18 private colleges, eligible to get grant-in-aid from January 1994, unaided Sanskrit colleges, providing cycles to SC/ST girl students, subsidy to lift irrigation, crop insurance scheme and implementations of various schemes like Madhu Babu pension scheme, Biju Gram Jyoti Yojana, Gopabandhu Grameen Yojana and the purchase of medicines for the patients.

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