Fiscal performance of Odisha shows upward trend: CS Aditya Padhi
Insight Bureau: Fiscal performances of the State by end of November of the current Finance Year exhibited an upward trend with the simultaneous increase in both its ingredients viz. utilization of the budget allocations and revenue augmentation.
This was known from the review taken by Chief Secretary Aditya Prasad Padhi in the all Secretaries meeting held in secretariat conference hall yesterday afternoon. Chief Secretary Padhi directed all departments to expedite and ensure 100% ground level implementation of the cabinet decisions and suggestions received from Collector’s workshop.
Fiscal performances of the State as presented by Principal Secretary Finance Tuhin Kanta Pandey showed an overall increase of around 16% in total budget utilization by end of November in current financial year (2017-18) in comparison to the corresponding period of last financial year.
Total expenditure up to November, 2017 has been around Rs.28384 cr against Rs.24,366 cr spent up to November, 2016.
The Expenditure in Agriculture & Allied sector up to November, 2017 has been around Rs.6619 cr. The expenditure in this sector principally includes the programmes being executed under the departments of Agriculture & Farmers welfare, Water Resources, Fisheries & Animal Resource Development and Cooperation.
Budget utilization in social sector has been to the tune of Rs.13451 cr up to November of current year against total spending of Rs.10701 during the same period of last financial year thereby showing an increase of around 26% .
The programmes under this sector are principally administered through the departments of School & Mass Education, Scheduled Tribe & Schedule Caste Development, Health & Family Welfare, Labour & ESI,Panchayati Raj, Women & Child Development, Higher Education, Skill Development & Technical Education and Social Security and Empowerment of persons with Disability.
Similarly, the budget utilization in infrastructure building undertaken through the departments of Works, Housing & Urban Development, Rural Development and Energy up to November has been to the tune of Rs.6579 cr. up to Nov, 2017 with a growth of around 7% over the last year.
Keeping tune with the expenditure, the total revenue augmentation till Nov, 2017 also increased by around 23% The Total revenue collection up to Nov, 2016 was around Rs. 18027 cr which increased to around Rs.22195 cr by Nov, 2017.
Similarly, own Tax revenue grew by around 30% with total collection of around Rs. 17726 cr. and the Non-Tax Revenue grew by around 2% with total collection of Rs.4469 cr Development Commissioner R.Balakrishnan suggested having a common data base of the beneficiaries covered under various programmes being implemented through different departments.
Such a data base, he added, “would help in tracking real delivery of services and measuring the scale of inclusion". It was decided to develop a digital platform for 360 degree view of the beneficiaries linking it with either Aadhar or tin number of socio-economic and caste census.