Bhubaneswar, Sep 22 (FN Bureau) Finance Minister Bikram Keshari Aarukh on Friday presented the Supplementary Statement of Expenditure of Rs 28,200 crore for 2023-24 in the Odisha Assembly. Aarukh said with this Supplementary Budget, Odisha will maintain revenue surplus, contain fiscal deficit within 3 percent of GSDP and maintain the debt-GSDP ratio at the year-end within the mandated level of 25 percent. He said till July, 2023, the debt to GSDP ratio is 10.27 percent and the Interest Payment to Revenue Receipt ratio 1.94 percent. The capital outlay for the year 2023-24, the Finance Minister said will exceed 6 percent of GSDP including the Supplementary provision.
This will help in boosting the economic growth and at the same time enable the State to carry forward different developmental and welfare programmes, he said. The Supplementary budget, Aarukh said, is aimed at fulfilling the requirement of funds for public welfare and developmental activities in the State mainly through reallocation of available resources and receipt of tied-up resources from various sources. It was necessitated for additional requirement of funds for completion of the important ongoing projects under state sector, additional requirement for ongoing Central Sector and Centrally Sponsored Schemes and changes in fund release mechanism of CSS affected by Government of India. He said Rs.1,302 crore budgetary provision has been made for Ama Odisha Nabin Odisha, a new scheme launched by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik for propagation of Jagannath culture and undertaking developmental work at the Panchayat level. While Rs 556 crore for Location Accessible Multi-modal Initiative (LACCMI) scheme, Rs.252 crore provision has been made for IT Connectivity to Gram Panchayats. The Finance Minister said a provision of Rs.210 crore has been made in the supplementary budget for Odisha Metro Rail Transport and Rs.153 crore for Construction of additional class rooms in Schools through PRIs. He said Rs.110 crore has been allocated for Mukhyamantri Chhatra Chhatri Paridhana Yojana.
A total allocation of Rs.1,631 crore has been made for infrastructure projects under Energy, IT, Commerce, Transport and Public Works and Rs 264 Crore for promotion of Culture and Tourism. Similarly an allocation of Rs 558 crore has been made for rural infrastructure which includes Rs.550 crore under Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY). A total Rs.1,136 crore has been allocated for ST & SC Development and Minority & backward Class Welfare initiatives while a sum of Rs.469 crore is allocated for empowerment of women and child development. A total sum of Rs.862 crore is allocated for public health care, Rs.783 crore towards Mission Shakti, Rs.700 crore for Financial Support to Women Self Help Group and Block level Mission Shakti Federation. He said Rs 4,433 crore has been allocated for irrigation facilities, farmers’ welfare and food security.