By Staff REPORTER
ITANAGAR, Mar 10: Deputy Chief Minister Chowna Mein on Friday presented the Rs 285 crore deficit budget for the year 2017-18 with major thrust on social sectors, infrastructure development, women empowerment and law and order.
“The budget embraces all sections of society and makes them equal stakeholders in the progress of the state. It is a blueprint of reform and transformation and an embodiment of the hopes of the youth and in many ways a significant departure from the past,” Mein, who also holds the Finance portfolio, said in his two-hour-long budget speech.
He said the government had endeavored to infuse greater degree of decentralization in decision making and fixing accountability at the operational levels.
“We have kept a close watch on our expenditure management through a more scientific expenditure authorization mechanism, based on actual progress of work and available cash balances,” the finance minister said.
Terming the budget as ‘People’s Budget’, Mein said that the budget draw upon the widest consultative process in budget formation and addresses the fundamental governance challenges facing the state and gives a strong thrust on use of technology for transparency.
“It has demonstrated the resolve of the government for transparency in recruitments and seeks to liberalize the framework of governance and incorporates some bold decisions,” the deputy chief minister said.
He added that the budget reflects an honest attempt to address the core socio economic challenges facing the state and the main trust was on jobs, skills and entrepreneurship for the youth, transformation of rural economy including agriculture and allied sectors, health care services and improving quality education, social security for destitute, disabled and old-aged people besides creating an environment for stimulating private investment in agro-processing, hydro power, horticulture and tourism.
“The budget also emphasised on a model of balanced regional growth with nodes of economic growth in different parts of the state and thrust had been given on rural infrastructure growth,” Mein said.
He said the Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) was estimated to be Rs 21,414 crore in 2016-17, growing from a level of Rs 11062.69 crore five years ago. The share of central taxes grew from actual receipt of Rs 7075.58 crore in 2015-16 to Rs 8388.30 crore in revised estimates of 2016-17. The state’s own tax revenue in the revised estimates of 2016-17 was Rs 650.63 crore as against actual receipt of Rs 535.07 crore in 2015-16, growing at 21.59 per cent, he added.
“The non-tax revenue receipt in the revised estimates of 2016-17 is estimated at Rs 506.79 crore as against an actual collection of Rs 392.12 crore in 2015-16, showing a growth of 29 per cent,” he disclosed in his speech.
In the budget estimate of 2017-18 the state is projecting a revenue receipt of Rs 14599 crore and a capital receipt of Rs 1436.75 crore, making a total receipts of Rs 16035 crore.
“This is an increase of over 15 per cent from the budget estimates of 2016-17. Our share of central taxes has been pegged at a level of Rs 9306.34 crore and this represents the biggest sources of resources for the state. We have projected state’s own tax revenue to be at a level of Rs 742.94 crore and the non-tax revenue projection for 2017-18 has been pegged at Rs 536.29 crore,” the minister said.
Mein said, being a destination based tax, Arunachal would be a net beneficiary in the unified Goods and Services Tax regime and would witness some degree of buoyancy in revenue receipts on this count.
The finance minister said that the underpinning philosophy of the budget draws upon 15 broad themes including, enhance transparency through governance reforms, empowering the youth, transformation of rural farm economy, unlocking the latent potential of land, introducing of policy measures to stimulates entrepreneurship, public investment, overhaul of the education system, effective and affordable health services delivery model, social security, women empowerment, bridging infrastructure deficit, revitalizing hydropower and tourism sectors, augmenting the internal resource generation capacity, effective law and order management and to follow a sustainable growth path in harmony with environment.
Referring to the reforms in governance as proposed in the budget, Mein said that the trinity of JAM – Jandhan, Aadhar and Mobile would be used for delivery of citizen services and moving towards a cashless and paperless economy. E-Office would be made functional, computerisation of treasuries and creating a chief minister’s dashboard on an electronic platform to track progress of key products including budget announcement.
Moreover, he said, stipends of students, scholarships, old age pensions, salaries of teachers would be paid on a direct benefit transfer mode directly into their bank accounts.
“For all the IT initiatives, the budget proposes an allocation of 15 crore under the scheme Digital Arunachal,” Mein said.
He said the government had decided to establish a Skill University in the state with public-private-partnership (PPA) framework. Besides three employment centres to be run on PPP model, vocational training courses in colleges and establishment of paramedical training college on PPP model have been proposed for skill development with an allocation of Rs 5 crore.
In agriculture and allied sectors he said, the government had set a policy target to achieve self sufficiency in food grains.
An amount of Rs 10 crore has been earmarked to take up land terracing activities, allocation of Rs 2 crore under Chief Minister’s Mission Organic, ten crore for establishing four tea and rubber nurseries, three crore under Chief Minister’s Krishi Rin Yojana, 5 crore for establishing a state level Agriculture Information Hub cum farmers’ hostel at Naharlagun, ten crore for agri-mechanization programme, five crore corpus fund to State Horticulture Research and Development Institute, two crore for four new nurseries, 2 crore for auction centres, 20 crore for providing plantation materials to farmers were proposed in the budget.
“An initial outlay of five crore has been proposed for the Chief Minister’s white revolution programme to establish an integrated dairy development project in Lohit district,” he said adding, under the blue revolution scheme the government would provide support to 1000 fish farmers for construction of fishing ponds and fish seed for which an allocation of 6 crore has been proposed in the budget.
Mein said a land policy would be notified would make landowners partners in progress of key infrastructure and industrial development projects while reducing the burden of land acquisition cost for the state.
“The government will roll out a new industrial policy and will develop industrial estates in the foothill districts for which a budgetary allocation of 15 crore has been proposed,” Mein said adding, an amount of Rs 10 crore had been proposed for developing a food park at Tippi in West Kameng district.
The deputy chief minister further stated that an amount of 30 crore was earmarked in the budget for Chief Minister’s Adhunik Shiksha Yojana to cover 1500 smart classrooms. An education hub at Tezu in Lohit district has been proposed with an initial outlay of 2 crore, he added.
In the health sector the budget proposes allocation of 15 crore for procurement and installation of CT scan machines at Naharlagun and Pasighat, Rs 10 crore for modernisation of existing drug de-addiction centres at Pasighat, Tezu, Namsai, Changlang and Papumpare including for purchase of required medicines and equipments,
An allocation of Rs 45 crore has also been proposed for completing the infrastructure of medical college at Naharlagun and for recruitment of new faculty for the college which would likely to start from 2018-19.
An amount of 25 crore was proposed for upgradation of infrastructure and equipment for five zonal hospitals.
The finance minister informed that an amount of Rs 50 crore had been allocated to the PWD for completing district secretariat buildings in various districts of the state and an amount of Rs 5 crore under Chief Minister’s air connectivity scheme.
“The government has taken a decision to establish a separate transmission company to function as state transmission utility which will operate and manage the assets of high voltage transmission infrastructure,” Mein said adding an amount of 60 crore had been proposed in the budget to augment street lighting facility within the capital complex and from Karsingsa to Itanagar, Naharlagun Town area, going up to Hollongi and within Tawang township area on a PPP model.
He said an amount of 30 crore had been proposed to complete the construction of flats for senior government officers at the Capital.
Highlighting various tourism development schemes proposed in the Budget, Mein informed that an amount of Rs 5 crore allocated for development of Mechuka in West Siang district as a model tourist town on a pilot basis.
“Our government is committed to preventing crime against women and accordingly plans to open women police station in all the districts in a phased manner. The government had already sanctioned 401 posts for opening 21 women police stations. A toll free number 181 will soon be provided to women helpline being run by the women and child development department and similarly a toll free number 1091 will be provided for the women police stations,” he said.
Mein further informed that ration money for police personnel enhanced to Rs 1000 per month while, the cabinet approved creation of 56 new posts of traffic police for traffic management.
“I propose to introduce a Chief Minister’s Employee Housing scheme under which employees can avail bank loan up to Rs 30 lakh and will get interest subsidy of 4 per cent from the government and an amount of Rs 5 crore has been allocated for the purpose, he said adding, the government had also enhanced the monthly wages of all contingency labourers by Rs 1000 per month.
Meanwhile, a new milestone has been realized towards Digital Arunachal with the launch of dedicated website for Arunachal Budget 2017-18 by chief minister Pema Khandu in the legislative assembly here during the day.
A brainchild of the department of finance, the website developed by department of information technology and communication is dedicated to Budget 2017-18 highlighting its keys features and also a graphical representation of the statistical data covering all aspects of the budget.
Being quite user-friendly it also has all the foremost details available for common citizens.
The link to the website is www.aruanchalbudget.in.
BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS
*Computer aided learning smart classroom to cover 1500 classrooms under Chief Minister’s Adhunik Shiksha Yojana.
*Completion of VKV Longding and commencing classes at VKV Mukto.
*RK Mission to establish a residential school at Lumdung in East Kameng
*State University, Pasighat, Girls College at Poma, Degree College in Tawang.
*Education Hub at Tezu- Degree College.
*Completion of Tomo Riba State Medical College. Ekalavya Schools at Medo and Tirbin.
*A digital x-ray and high quality ultrasound facility to be made operational under CSR initiative of Samsung in Tomo Riba State Hospital.
*Free Chemotherapy for APST cancer patients.
*Tertiary care cancer treatment center at Tomo Riba State Hospital.
*Installation of CT Scan machines at Naharlagun and Pasighat.
*Enhanced old age pension to Rs. 1500 per month (60-79 years) and Rs. 2000 per month (above 80 years).
*Disabled pension enhanced to Rs. 2000 per month.
*Enhanced Widow Pension to Rs. 2000 per month.
*Integrated Child Protection Scheme: 6 new Juvenile Homes proposed.
*One Stop Centers for women in distress in Itanagar and Pasighat.\
*200 habitations to be covered for drinking water supply under the National Rural Drinking Water Program.
*Rural Arunachal to become open defecation free by 2018.
*Skill University, three Employability Centers and a Paramedical Training College to be set up under PPP mode.
*4 ITI’s will be made operational. Model ITI at Yupia.
*Convention Center at Itanagar.
*Outdoor stadiums at Pasighat, Yupia and Daporijo.
*Construction of viewing gallery and artificial turf at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium.
*Self sufficiency in food grains by 2020
*Land terracing in food deficit areas.
*Zero interest crop loans. 7500 farmers to be covered.
*Development of new Industrial estates in the foothill Districts with NABARD’s assistance.
*Foodpark at Tippi. Liberalization of land laws.
*Convention Center at Itanagar.
*576 houses for migrant labor at Chimpu. 320 houses for economically weaker section at Dirang. 384 houses for economically weaker sections at Bomdila.
* Housing complex of MLAs at Chimpu. Completion of the Convention Centre at Itanagar. *Commissioning the 600 MW Kameng Hydel Project and 110 MW Pare Hydel project.
*Comprehensive restructuring of Hydropower Department.
*Electrification of 1500 villages both on the grid mode and decentralized solar energy under Deendayal Upadhyay Gramjyoti Yojana.
*Separate Transmission Company to function as state transmission utility
*Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sadak Yojana- covering 1000 kilometers of rural roads.
*Alignment of Arunachal Frontier Highway from Dirang to Vijaynagar adjacent to the international border with China.
*Revival of the East-West Industrial corridor from Bhairabkund to Ruksin.
*Interstate bus terminus at Lekhi Village.
*Swadesh Darshan Scheme.
*Modernization of police force including communication equipment, security equipment, traffic equipment, weapons and forensic equipment.
*21 Women Police stations in all District Headquarters with a toll free number 1091.
*Toll free women helpline 181 run by the Department of Women and Child Development.
*56 new posts for traffic police.
*Creation of a portal for online registration for examinations.