Kerala focusses on welfare in budget

Thiruvananthapuram: Rice at Rs two per kilo rice to 3.5 million families and Rs 1000 crore `Green Fund` are the major highlights of the 2010-11 budget, presented in the Kerala Assembly by Finance Minister Thomas Issac on Friday.

Presening the budget with emphasis on social justice and environmental consciousness, Mr Issac said the state would provide rice at Rs two per kilo to the entire unorganised labourers ignoring the artificial distinction between APL and BPL drawn by the Centre.

He also said a Rs 1000 crore Green Fund would also be set up during the next five years for strengthening the environmental consciousness.

The budget had proposed to decrease the stamp duty for land registration. However, it had been proposed to bring a ten per cent hike in tax rate on liquor other than beer and wine. However, taxes for beer and wine will be reduced by ten per cent.

Mr Issac said an increase of 25 per cent tax collection was expected during the coming financial year.

The welfare pensions were also increased to Rs 300 per month. The budget also proposed to expand the existing health insurance scheme to cover 3.5 million families.

The Finance Minister also set apart Rs 620 crore of the Plan for schemes solely benefiting women. An amount of Rs 10.5 crore was earmarked for setting up of rest rooms and toilet facilities for women in bus stands, markets and similar public places.

The Budget also enhanced the outlay for agricultural sector to Rs 622 crore from Rs 419 crore, an increase of 50 per cent. Out of this, Rs 130 crore was earmarked specially for the food security programme. While Rs 500 crore will be spent for paddy cultivation, a sum of Rs 30 crore would be set apart for coconut development.

In the infrastructure development, a company with paid up capital of Rs 1000 crore would be set up with the government share pegged at 26 per cent for the construction of Kannur Airport. Another company would be constituted for the rapid rail corridor project with an estimated investment of Rs 50,000 crore. A sum of Rs 125 crore was set apart for the phase one development of the Vizhinjan international container transhipment terminal.

In the small scale and traditional industries, a sum of Rs 246 crore has been alloted. Stating that all the public sector undertakings, except five, were making profit, he said that eight more PSUs would be set up this year with an investment of Rs 125 crore.

An amount of Rs 153 crore, 77 per cet increasse from the previous year, had been earmarked for the development of Information Technology in the state.

The tourism sector also has seen an outlay of Rs 100.

March 5, 2010