Another direction-less Budget tabled
Power, road, health, administrative infrastructure priority areas: CM
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, July 15 2014: With some slight changes here and there in the budgets that were introduced in the past, a new State Budget Estimates of Rs 9687.83 crore for the fiscal year 2014-15, which is devoid of any new hope or direction for growth was tabled in the Manipur Legislative Assembly today.

Out of the total amount in the State Budget Estimates for 2014-15, which was tabled in the House by Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh, who is also in charge of Finance, Rs 8983.04 crore is voted expenditure while Rs 704.78 crore is charged expenditure.

Introducing the Budget Estimate for 2014-15, Chief Minister O Ibobi said improvement of power situation in the State, development of road and bridges, health care facilities and improvement of administrative infrastructures are the areas that his Government would be giving special focus during the current fiscal year.

Another direction-less Budget tabled

At the very outset, the Chief Minister made it very clear to all the members that Manipur's 2014-15 annual plan discussions have not yet taken place and hence as the plan size is yet to be finalized.

However, with a view to facilitating implementation of Plan schemes, his Government has fixed the tentative plan outlay at Rs 3200 crore for 2014-15.However, after inclusion of the unspent balances of the previous year under NEC and NLCPR and amount transferred from CSS/CPS as Central Assistance to State Plan, the total State Plan expenditure budget for 2014-15 stands at Rs 4045.16 crore.

For 2014-15 Budget Estimates, the total receipt is estimated at Rs 9385.14 crore and the Revenue receipts at Rs 8826.42 crore while Capital receipts including Public Account receipts at Rs 558.72 cores.

These estimates, however, will change after the Plan outlay for 2014-15 is finalised.

The total estimates of State's own tax and non-tax receipts are Rs 620.83 crore and Rs 284.06 crore respectively.

VAT, Motor vehicles tax and professional tax are major source of own receipts and total receipts from VAT is estimated at Rs 500 crore.

The receipts from power, however, have been excluded from the estimates of non-tax receipts as power sector has been corporatized.

Receipt from share in Central taxes has been kept at Rs 1753.36 crore as per the Central Budget 2014-15 and the non-plan grants from the Centre including the non-plan revenue deficit grant under the 13th Finance Commission award, are estimated at Rs 1360.10 crore.

The Chief Minister further informed that the total estimate expenditure for 2014 is Rs 9687.83 crore.

Of this, Rs 4045.16 crore is under plan, which is tentative, and Rs 5189.68 crore under non-plan.

The balance of Rs 452.98 crore is under centrally sponsored schemes, Central plan schemes and NEC schemes.

Out of the total Budget Estimates, an amount of Rs 704.78 crore is charged expenditure and the remaining amount of Rs 8983.04 core is voted expenditure.

This consists of estimated revenue expenditure of Rs 7690 croe while capital expenditure is estimated at Rs 1997.24 crore with the plan component being tentative.

Under the Non-plan Revenue account, the total expenditure is projected at Rs 4941.77 crore during 2014-15 against Rs 4811.63 crore during 2013-14.The increase is primarily due to inclusion of the impact of additional 18 DA/DR recently announced by the Government in the salary/pension estimates, the Chief Minister explained, adding that under non-plan, the salary expenditure is estimated at Rs 2652.88 crore, while under State plan, it is estimated at Rs 58.54 crore and the Pension expenditure is estimated at Rs 858.82 crore.

Speaking on the tentative plan outlay for 2014-15, the Chief Minister said that within the limited resources, his Government has tried to allocate funds across all sectors in view of needs and priorities.

Sectorally, Agriculture and Allied activities have been allocated Rs 139 crore while Rural development has been allocated Rs 176.66 crore, MLA's local area development fund has been raised to Rs 1 crore for each ML from Rs 75 lakh in the previous year (at this point, the Chief Minister expressed hope that the enhanced allocation will enable the MLAs to take up greater number of constituency specific development works).

Irrigation and Flood Control Sector has been allocated Rs 618.71 crore (Rs 352.41 crore and Rs 87.20 crore for MMI and MI respectively).

Energy sector's outlay of Rs 113 crore includes Rs 110 crore for power sector.

The General Economic Services, which includes SPA, SCA, NEC and NLCPR, among others, has the maximum allocation of Rs 1287.88 crore.

Allocation for Social Services have been kept at Rs 661.91 crore with almost 27 percent earmarked for education and health sector.

Welfare of Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes and Development of MOBC has been allocated Rs 54 crore.

Social Security and Social Welfare have been allocated Rs 38.47 crore.

For Urban development, Rs 89 crore has been earmarked.

These sectoral allocations are exclusive of unspent balances of NEC an NLCPR and the amount transferred from CSS/CPS as Central Assistance to State Plan and these allocations could change after finalisation of the plan size, the Chief Minister added.

On sectors that have been identified as priority during the current year, the Chief Minister said that in power sector, his Government has initiated various reform measures, both systematic and technical to improve the situation.

The erstwhile Electricity Department has been corporatized and unbundled into two companies, namely Manipur State Power Company Limited and Manipur State Power Distribution Company Limited.

Measures have been taken up to reduce losses in high transmission and distribution of power.

The introduction of pre-payment meters in core areas of Imphal has led to reduction of load demand and facilitated efficient power billing.

As of date, 60336 pre-payment meters have been installed and coverage would be expanded further during the current year.

Under Rajiv Gandhi Gramen Vidyutikaran Yojana, electrification works is being taken up in un-electrified villages and partially electrified.

All villages in the valley districts have been electrified.

In the hill districts, in all 2097 villages have been electrified so far, though 1752 villages are still un-electrified.

During 2014-14, Manipur State Power Company Limited proposes to complete 10 nos.of 132 KV transmission schemes and 16 nos.of 33 KV sub-transmission schemes as part of scheme to augment the transmission system.

On the distribution side too, efforts would also be made to complete the system of Improvement Scheme of Greater Imphal under the Accelerated Power Distribution Reforms Programme (APDRP) and System Strengthening Scheme of 13 selected towns, the Chief Minister assured.

Stating that his Government has accorded high priority to development of road network in the State, the Chief Minister said that major stretches of National Highways running through Imphal city have been widened and land acquisition for 6 laning of National Highway-150 from Keishampat to malom is currently in progress.

Work in important road projects under NEC such as improvement of Tameglong-Tamei Road and Kangpokpi-Tamei Road are in good progress and construction of bridges over Iril River at Chingarel in Imphal East, over Imphal River at Moirangkhom (Old Thumbuthong) and over Layii River on Kharasom Lazo-Layii Road have been completed.

To give a further fillip to the road sector, the State Government is also leveraging funding from eternal sources.

After the Asian Development Bank (ADB) agreed to finance construction of roads from Tupul to Bishnupur and Thoubal to Kasom Khullen under the North Eastern States Road Investment Programme (NESRIP), works have been already started.

ADB is also considering funding of the construction o Imphal Ring Road, Imphal-Kangchup-Tamenglong Road, Heirok Machin-Khudengthabi Road under South Asia Sub-Regional Economic Co-operation Road Connectivity Investment Programme (SRCIP) and details are being finalised.

During the annual plan, 2014-15, Rs 42.30 crore has been earmarked or the road sector while Rs 138.17 crore has been earmarked under the Non-Plan.

This allocation will increase after SPA, SCA, NEC and NLCPR schemes foe 2014-15 are finalised.

The present allocation includes an amount of Rs 5.30 crore as State's share for SASEC road connectivity under ADB, the Chief Minister added.

Observing that his Government is fully conscious about the fact that peace and development are two sides of the same coin and one cannot exist without the other, Chief Minister O Ibobi said that the policies, programmes and activities of his Government are directed to this end and the relentless counter insurgency operations carried out has paid rich dividends in containing militancy in the State.

Since effective counter insurgency operations alone cannot solve the problems of insurgency and militancy, the State Government has also taken up measures to bring the militant groups onto the negotiating tables.

After signing of Suspension of Operations agreements, tripartite agreements, memorandum of understanding, etc with many of he militant groups operating in different parts of the State, there is a perceptible change in the overall law and order situation.

Other ongoing measures for strengthening of State Police Force will be continued even this year as well.

During 2014-15, augmentation of security infrastructure in hill districts will be a priority and an amount of Rs 1014.68 crore under Non-plan and Rs 54.73 crore under Plan has been earmarked for this sector, the Chief Minister informed the House.

On other priority sectors, the Chief Minister said that his Government is firmly committed to the welfare and all round development of the people in the hill areas.

So, in the budget estimates of 2014-15, the Border Area Development Scheme has an outlay of Rs 22 cores while the outlay provided under Backward Region Grant Fund id Rs 53.20 crore.

Moreover, the Ministry of DoNER has agreed to provide Rs 10 cores to the 6 Autonomous District Councils in the hill areas under the Social Infrastructure Development Fund and also to extend the coverage of North Eastern regional Community Resource Management Programme to more hill districts, namely Chandel and Churachandpur.

This would involve proposed investment of over Rs 100 crore in each hill district over the next 6 years, the Chief Minister disclosed.

He further said that under some other programmes like the Integrated Watershed Development Programme (IWMP) and National Rural Livelihood Mission (NRLM) also, very large components are devoted to the hill areas.

Rs 65 crore will be provided to the hill areas under IWMP while Rs 3.18 crore is earmarked under NRLM.

Pointing out that the process for preparing a project for development of land-based resources and creating livelihoods in the hill areas has been initiated with the help of Planning Commission, the Chief Minister maintained that this will need a new Land Use Policy for the hill areas that aims at bringing convergence in various Centrally sponsored schemes and filling the gaps with additional resources as part of the State plan.

For development in health sector, the Chief Minister said that Rs 114.59 core has been earmarked, out of which Rs 21.18 crore is for meeting the State's share requirement of four district hospitals in Ukhrul, Chandel, Jiribam and Tamenglong and Rs 37.70 crore as grant-in-aid to JIMS.

Further, an amount of Rs 194.42 crore has been earmarked under Non-plan.

For ensuring the provision of clean drinking water, sanitation and a clean environment, which are vital to prevent water borne diseases and to improve the health of the people, an outlay of Rs 158.40 crore has been earmarked for the year 2014-15 for implementation of various schemes, the Chief Minister said.