In Kerala Budget, focus on Ockhi-hit, women
Announcing a package of Rs 2,000 crore for Ockhi-hit areas, Finance Minister Thomas Issac said all families living within 50 m from the sea would be rehabilitated. Announcing a package of Rs 2,000 crore for Ockhi-hit areas, Finance Minister Thomas Issac said all families living within 50 m from the sea would be rehabilitated.
A rehabilitation package for Ockhi-hit areas, strict eligibility criteria for social security pensions and austerity measures are some highlights of the CPM-led Kerala government’s third Budget presented in Assembly on Friday.
Announcing a package of Rs 2,000 crore for Ockhi-hit areas, Finance Minister Thomas Issac said all families living within 50 m from the sea would be rehabilitated. A satellite-based communication system to alert fishermen about weather would be launched at a cost of Rs 100 crore, he said.
An allocation of Rs 2,500 crore has been made for the government’s LIFE Mission, which aims to provide housing to all homeless families.
Blaming demonetisation and introduction of GST for the economic crisis in Kerala, the minister said the tax revenue of the state has grown only by 5. 2 per cent against the expected 16.8 per cent. “Strict financial discipline has become inevitable,” he said, adding that the investment from Kerala Investment Infrastructure Fund Board (KIFB) would be an antidote to the economic slowdown.
He said the government liability for social security pension schemes has gone up to Rs 6,000 crore, as against Rs 1,650 crore during UDF regime, forcing it to bring strict eligibility conditions. Accordingly, a person with two acres of land or a car above 1000 cc or a house of 1,200 sq would be removed from ambit of the pension scheme, he said. Besides, if a family has an income tax payee, none from the family would be eligible for social security pension, he said.
The Budget also envisages introduction of chit fund for expatriates in the forms of bonds in KIFB. Instead of interest, the investors would be given dividend and commission, he said.
Cardiac centres and dialysis units would be introduced in district-level government hospitals, the minister said, adding that resources for a health insurance scheme would be mobilised from the state lottery.
He said 40,000 classrooms in 4,775 schools would be equipped with IT labs and schools with a student strength of 500 or more would get up to Rs 1 crore for infrastructure development.
Another highlight of the budget is that allocation for schemes exclusively for women has been increased to 14.6 per cent of the total allocation. The minister announced housing projects for rehabilitating victims of gender violence. Such women, he said, would be given job training in association with Kerala Academy for Skill Excellence.
Even as the government proposes to introduce new de-addiction centres, the state-owned Bevco would be allowed to sell imported liquor through its outlets, he said. He suggested austerity steps against the backdrop of grim finances. Creation of new posts and purchase of vehicles by government departments would be controlled, the minister said.
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