Ranchi: Jharkhand government tabled an annual budget of Rs 91,277 crore for the financial year 2021-22 on Wednesday aiming to mitigate the Covid-19 pandemic challenges. The budget focus on agriculture, education, health sectors, rural development, social welfare schemes including others.
Rameshwar Oraon, Finance Minister Jharkhand tabled the budget in the state assembly of Rs 91,277 crore a sum of Rs 75,755.01 crore has been set for revenue expenditure while a sum of Rs 15,521.99 crore has been set for institutional expenditure.
The budgetary allocations have been done in three sectors – the general sector has been allocated a sum of Rs 26,734.05 crore, social sector 33,625.72 crore while the economic sector has been allotted a sum of Rs 30,917.23 crore.
The fiscal deficit for the year 2021-22 has been pegged at Rs 10,210.87 crore which is 2.83 percent of the GSDP.
Oraon said that in the year 2019-20 the growth rate of Jharkhand was 6.7 percent however due to the Coronavirus pandemic apart from the country the growth rate in Jharkhand has been also impacted. He said that in the year 2020-21 the GDP of the country is expected to fall by 7.5 percent while that of Jharkhand is expected to decline by 6.9 percent.
“Development has once again come on track after the consistent efforts of the state government. Due to far-sighted policies in the year 2021-22 the growth rate has been projected at 9.5 percent,” he added.
The state government likely to generate Rs 23,265.42 from its own taxes, non-tax receipts has been pegged at Rs 13,500 crore. From central assistance, a sum of Rs 17,891.48 crore while from the share in central taxes a sum of Rs 22,050.10 crore, from public borrowings Rs 14,500 crore and from advance taxes a sum of Rs 70 crore is expected.
The government hopes to earn a maximum of 25.49 percent from state own taxes, 24.16 percent from state’s share of central taxes, 19.60 percent from grants in aid, 15.89 percent from borrowings, 14.79 percent from state own taxes while from the recovery of loans and advances 0.07 percent has been projected.
As far as budgetary allocations are concerned a bulk allocation of 14.52 percent has been given to education, 14.16 percent has been given to the rural development, 8.55 percent to health and drinking water, 8.33 percent to police and disaster management department, 8.05 to percent welfare and social welfare and 7.45 percent as a pension.
The state government has introduced an outcome budget in 11 departments. The poor people will be given Sari, Dhoti and Lungui at a cost of Rs 10. The government has introduced scholarships for tribal students for abroad study. Every ten tribal students on a merit basis will be selected under scholarship who will study in foreign countries.
The State Government also brought in several schemes and projects in the Budget, including Integrated Birsa Gram Vikas Yojna, cultivation of horticulture crops in urban areas, setting up of Jharkhand State Horticulture Promotion Society, the establishment of Go Mukti Dham, several new irrigation projects, providing loans to women SHGs, Birsa Harit Gram Scheme, distribution of Dhoti, Saree, Lungi among masses etc.
The Budget also talks about setting up community food centres named after former CM and JMM chief Shibu Soren. The scheme, named Guruji Kitchen Scheme, will provide ready-to-eat food for the common man at the community food centres. The scheme will replace Dal Bhat Kendras and several new such centres will be opened for the benefit of the poor and the marginalised section of society.
In the field of education, several model schools will be opened in the State and the Jharkhand Open University will be established to benefit students of far-flung areas of Jharkhand.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren said that budget 2021-22 which was tabled in the assembly by Finance Minister Rameshwar Oraon will be a milestone for the state.
Interacting with the press at the Vidhan Sabha here he said that the Government is moving ahead with long-term plans whose result will be far-fetched. He said that in the last 20 years for this state whatever policies were formed all of them were for immediate benefits, therefore, his government has made a provision of ‘outcome budget’ which means that the government does not want to make a budget but rather it wants to see its results.
He said that Jharkhand is such a state which should have been counted among leading and developed states of the country but seriousness for the state was very less seen in the previous governments. However this time the state government has made an assessment of the internal resources and on the basis of the capacity of the state has made work plans accordingly.
He said adding that efforts have been made so that from rural areas to urban areas such an environment is created in the state where all people get employment. The Chief Minister said this budget has been tabled just now; many things will now come out in open and they will have a large scale impact in the state.
