CM tables deficit budget for 2020-21
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 14 2020: Chief Minister N Biren who is also in charge of Finance Department today tabled the budget (estimates) for 2020-21 in the State Assembly.

"I am presenting a deficit budget of Rs 1720 crore for 2019-20 (RE) and Rs 723 crore for 2020-21 (BE)", the Chief Minister told the House.

According to the budget estimates tabled today, the total receipts are estimated at Rs 20,146 crore including revenue receipts of Rs 18,083 crore and capital receipts of Rs 2,063 crore.

Total estimates of State's own tax and non-tax receipts are Rs 1,325 crore and Rs 257 crore respectively.

CM tables deficit budget for 2020-21

Receipt from the State's share in Central taxes and duties is estimated at Rs 5,630 crore in 2020-21 which is an increase of 39 per cent over 2019-20.Tabling the budget estimates, the Chief Minister proposed a total expenditure of Rs 21,224 crore out of the Consolidated Fund of the State.

Out of the total expenditure, Rs 2,066 crore is charged expenditure while the remaining amount of Rs 19,159 crore is voted expenditure.

Fiscal deficit is estimated at Rs 1,363 crore which is 4.06 per cent of the GSDP it is beyond the prescribed limit of 3 per cent fixed as per the State FRBM Act.

The total outstanding debt is projected at 35.91 per cent of the GSDP during 2020-21 against revised estimates of 37.88 per cent, Biren told the House.

The Chief Minister claimed that SGST collection increased from Rs 301 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 695 crore in 2018-19 and the Government expects to achieve the revised target of Rs 862 in 2019-20 .

Existing CSD canteens of armed and para-military forces draw their quota of liquor from the bonded warehouse outside the State, mainly Dimapur.

In order to set up a bonded warehouse in the State, Manipur Bonded Warehouse Rules have been amended in conformity with the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act 1991 .

This would bring additional revenue of about Rs 2.31 crore annually in the form of license fee and renewal fees, Biren said.

Even though the State's share from Central taxes was projected at Rs 5211 crore, the Government of India has reduced it to only Rs 4048 crore.

Thus there is a downward revision of Rs 1163 crore in the share of Central taxes for the year 2019-20.As such, there is an increase in the estimated budget deficit of the current year from Rs 1405 crore to Rs 1720 crore.

Nonetheless, the budgetary outlay for education has been enhanced from Rs 2017 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 2252 crore in 2020-21, considering the importance of promoting growth of human capital, Biren said.

Budgetary allocations for Go to School Mission (School Phagathansi Programme) and DM University are Rs 42.5 crore and Rs 6 crore respectively.

Budgetary outlay for Skill Development has been enhanced from Rs 51 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 71 crore in 2020-21 .

The budgetary support for JNIMS has also been increased from Rs 103.34 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 116.4 crore in 2020-21 .

A sum of Rs 2 crore is incorporated in the budget estimate for proper management of biomedical wastes.

The budgetary outlay under Medical, Health and Family Welfare Services has been enhanced from Rs 745 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 846 crore in 2020-21.Budget 2020-21 allocates Rs 1017 crore for Drinking Water and Sanitation.

It also earmarks Rs 35.2 crore to pay pension to retired employees of Autonomous District Councils.

The budgetary outlay for Tribal Affairs and Hills too has been enhanced from Rs 885 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 912 crore in 2020-21 .

Likewise, the budgetary allocation for Agriculture has been increased from Rs 329 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 388 crore in 2020-21 .

It also earmarks Rs 50 crore for the new scheme 'Cultivation of horticulture crops as an alternative to poppy cultivation' .

The capital outlay for Irrigation has been enhanced from Rs 456 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 503 crore in 2020-21 .

As per the budget estimates 2020-21, a mega food park would be set up in Yaithibi Khunou at an estimated cost of Rs 81.83 crore, Biren informed the House.

The budgetary outlay for Rural Development has been increased from Rs 1869 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 2714 crore in 2020-21 .

Budgetary allocation for Public Works saw slight increase from Rs 855 crore in 2019-20 to Rs 895 crore this fiscal.

The budget estimate earmarks Rs 18 crore for development of tourist sports in all the districts of the State.

The Chief Minister stated that Imphal-Mandalay flight service as well as bus service are likely to be introduced this year.

The budgetary allocations for Forest & Environment and Scheduled Castes, Minorities and Other Backward Classes are Rs 491 crore and Rs 275 crore respectively.

It also earmarks Rs 20 lakh for Manipur Journalist Pension Scheme.

The budget allocates Rs 200 crore for the State Share Corpus to provide State matching share for various Central sponsored schemes, and another Rs 20 crore for CMHT.