Ghadei presents Orissa annual budget for 2007-08

Bhubaneswar, June 1 (UNI) Orissa Finance Minister P C Ghadei today presented a Rs 24133.69 crore annual budget for the financial year 2007-2008 in the state Assembly.

Mr Ghadei said the state government had taken many reform measures to correct the fiscal problems of the state and claimed that Orissa had become a revenue surplus state for the first time in 2005-06 after a gap of 22 years. The revenue surplus during 2007-08 has been estimated at Rs 1045.76 crores, he added.

The Finance Minister said since 2005-06, the state government has neither resorted to overdraft nor taken advance which indicated an improvement in the financial management of the state government.

Mr Ghadei said the annual budget for 2007-08 has accorded priority in the field of infrastructure development, agriculture, irrigation, health, education and rural development.

The Finance Minister said there had been an increase of budgetary allocation of Rs 213 crores in agriculture, Rs 329 crores in irrigation, Rs 281 crores in health and family welfare and over Rs 500 crores in Women and Child Development Department as compared to last year's budget.

He said the government had made the provision of Rs 50 crores in the recently announced Biju Gramya Bidyut Yojana and additional old age pension for one lakh people including 20,000 physically handicapped.

Mr Ghadei said the budget has made provision of Rs 147 crores following the decision of the government to enhance the MLA LAD fund from Rs 50 lakhs to Rs 75 lakhs from 2006-07.

This apart, provision has been made for annual expenditure of Rs 120 crores in Biju KBK Yojana and another Rs 110 crores for the Gopabandhu Gramin Yojana. Both the schemes were announced by the Chief Minister.

The Finance Minister said in the non-plan sector, the budget had made a provision of Rs 1138.51 crores in the maintenance of government buildings, quarters and roads in the state. The budget, he said, had also provided Rs 324.26 crores for the Backward Region Grant Fund (BRGF) to be implemented in 19 of the total 30 districts in the state and Rs 16.10 crores for State Employment Mission.

UNI