Rs six-crore deficit budget placed in Bengal Assembly

Kolkata, June 23 (UNI) West Bengal Finance Minister Asim Dasgupta today placed in the state Assembly a Rs six-crore deficit budget for 2006-07 announcing higher allocations in various fields, including agriculture, irrigation, industry, health and urban development.

Proposing a 24.5 per cent higher plan outlay of Rs 8,374 crore, Dr Dasgupta announced provisions for an additional resource mobilisation of Rs 46 crore through a slew of tax proposals and simplification of procedures to largely overcome an initial deficit of Rs 52 crore.

The total expenditure of the state for 2006-07 was projected at Rs 42,720.53 crore as against a total receipt of Rs 42, 668.53 crore.

Describing the budget as a result of the state's policy, taken as an alternative to the 'one-sided globalisation, liberelisation and economic reforms at the national level', the Finance Minister said this would enable West Bengal to achieve 8.5 per cent State Domestice Product (SDP) this fiscal as against 7.38 in the previous year.

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