Tag: budget

Traffic restrictions in Hyderabad for Formula E race, Telangana budget session

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Hyderabad: Traffic restrictions will be imposed around Hussain Sagar in the heart of Hyderabad from February 5 in view of the prestigious Formula E race to be held on February 11. Police also imposed traffic restrictions in the city in view of the Telangana Assembly budget session starting on Friday.
Apart from it, cops have issued a traffic advisory for the ongoing construction work at the Amberpet flyover on NH-163.
Traffic restrictions for Formula E race in Hyderabad
Traffic will not be allowed on Telugu Talli flyover to Khairatabad flyover and Mint compound to I Max.
Earlier, Special Chief Secretary, Municipal Administration and Urban Development, Arvind Kumar inspected Formula E track along with officials, ABB FIA Formula E World Championship and Greenko Hyderabad E-Prix.
The official said that the arrangements for the race are on track. He said partial closure of roads will come into force in next few days, and appealed to people to take alternate routes until February 11.
Meanwhile, Telangana Chief Secretary Santhi Kumari on Tuesday discussed the security arrangements relating to Dr B R Ambedkar Secretariat Complex to be inaugurated on February 17 and the arrangements to be made for the Formula E race.
She said the public should be informed about the alternative routes. Alternate routes should also be made ready to avoid delay in Secretariat works due to Formula E race.
Restrictions for Telangana Assembly budget session
As per the restrictions for Telangana Assembly budget session in Hyderabad, traffic may be stopped or diverted on need basis along the routes of Telugu Thalli – Iqbal Minar – Ravindra Bharathi; VV Statue – Shadan – Nirankari – Old PS Saifabad – Ravindra Bharathi; Masab Tank – PTI Building – Ayodhya – Nirankari; New MLA Quarters – Basheerbagh Junction to Old PCR Junction; BJR Statue – AR Petrol pump – Old PCR Junction; M J Market – Taj Island – Nampally Railway Station – AR Petrol pump – Old PCR Junction; BRK Bhavan – Adarsh Nagar – Old PCR Junction; Ministers Residence Complex and Road No. 12, Banjara Hills – Virinchi Hospitals.

Other routes where traffic restrictions will be imposed are Jubilee Hills Check Post – KBR Park – LV Prasad Eye Hospital – Srinagar Colony T Junction – Sagar Society T Junction – NFCL – Vengal Rao Park – GVK Mall – Taj Krishna – KCP Junction – VV Statue; ESI Hospital – SR Nagar Metro Station – Ameerpet Metro Station – Panjagutta Junction – NIMS – VV Statue; CTO Junction – Paradise – Ranigunj – Karbala – Children’s Park – Tank Bund – Ambedkar Statue – Telugu Thalli – Iqbal Minar – Ravindra Bharathi and Plaza Junction – Patny – Bata – Bible house – Karbala.
Traffic advisory issued due to Amberpet flyover works
In view of the ongoing construction work at the Amberpet flyover on NH-163, the Hyderabad police have issued an advisory.
As per the advisory, the road from the Gandhi statue to Amberpet T Junction (near Sree Ramana) will be closed for 40 days from January 30 to March 10.
District RTC buses and other heavy vehicles coming from Uppal towards 6 No. Junction should take a route via Habsiguda X Road – Tarnaka – Osmania Distance Education Road – Adikmet Flyover – Vidyanagar – Fever Hospital – Barkathpura – Tourist Hotel – Nimboliadda– Chaderghat.
General traffic including city RTC buses coming from Uppal towards 6 No. Junction will be diverted at Gandhi Statue – Prem Sadan Police boys hostel – Saldana Gate (CPL Amberpet) – Ali Cafe X Roads & Right turn towards 6 No. Junction – Golnaka – Nimobliadda–Chaderghat.
With inputs from agencies
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#Traffic #restrictions #Hyderabad #Formula #race #Telangana #budget #session
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 2, 2023
DeSantis builds conservative resume with new $114B-plus budget
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“If we were here four years ago and people said we would be able to propose what we are proposing today, most people probably would have said that would not have been possible,” DeSantis said Wednesday during a press conference at the state capitol.
“But if you told them everything that happened in the last four years, they definitely would have said it would not have been possible,” he said.
The Florida Legislature has the ultimate authority to write the state budget, but DeSantis’ growing clout within the national Republican Party has given him great power over the GOP-dominated Legislature, which in recent years has generally handed him everything he wanted. Any budget wins will give DeSantis more talking points if he jumps into the 2024 presidential race, further fueling the impression that he can use public funds to enact a conservative agenda.
Before the Wednesday press conference began, an administration staffer told state workers at the event to applaud and be “high energy.” Moments later, they cheered and clapped loudly when DeSantis entered the Florida Cabinet room, where he announced the budget plan. The workers broke out into applause three times during DeSantis’ presentation.
DeSantis framed much of his remarks around not just a single-year budget proposal but rather a recap of his entire first term. He compared the state of Florida’s overall economy with four years ago when he first took office. During that time, Florida’s main state reserve fund increased by $12 billion, the unemployment rate has dropped to 2.5 percent, and Florida has become the fastest-growing state in the country — changes that occurred while the state was grappling with a global pandemic that helped make DeSantis a national star with the conservative base.
Some of the governor’s more controversial programs would get significant increases if ultimately approved. DeSantis wants $31 million and 27 positions for the Office of Election Crimes and Security, which he created last year to investigate election fraud. DeSantis lauded the office and, in August, held a high-profile press conference highlighting 20 arrests made by his agents. Several of those defendants, however, had the charges against them dropped, and the office has yet to secure a conviction.
The governor is also seeking another $12 million for his controversial program that uses state funds to transport asylum-seeking migrants from the southern border to other parts of the country,
The program drew swift backlash when, in September, DeSantis transported 50 mostly Venezuelan asylum seekers from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard, in Massachusetts, a move he said was done to highlight the Biden Administration’s border policies. Democrats, including President Joe Biden, widely condemned the flights.

“We have had a deterrent effect, and people are sick of having an open border with no rule of law in this country,” DeSantis said Wednesday when asked about the funding.
The migrant flight program is facing several lawsuits, including from state Sen. Jason Pizzo (D-Miami), who argued that the DeSantis administration violated state law because the original funding was earmarked to remove “unauthorized aliens from this state” while the September flights originated in Texas. This year’s proposed budget broadens the scope of the language to say the funds would be used to remove “unauthorized aliens within the United States.”
House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell approved of some budget proposals, like making diaper purchases tax-free, but said that, overall, it represents a political stunt.
“Governor DeSantis’s budget proposal is a financial wish list of recommendations to influence decisions made in the Capitol,” she said in a statement. “While I am encouraged to see recommended allocations that will benefit Floridians … I am also concerned to see troubling recommendations like the ‘Unauthorized Alien Transport Program,’ which I worry could lead to further political stunts like when the Governor previously used taxpayer dollars to lure unsuspecting individuals seeking political asylum from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard.”
Senate Democratic Leader Lauren Book (D-Plantation) took a slightly different tone, saying the “devil is in the details,” but praised tax breaks in the plan and said she sees “much common ground at first glance.”
DeSantis’ proposal also relies on more than $400 million in Biden administration Covid-19 aid money. The biggest single chunk from that funding is $220 million to pay for $1,000 bonuses for first responders. Over the past two years, state budgets have included nearly $10 billion from the federal pandemic assistance, money that has been used to pay for some of DeSantis’ most politically divisive proposals heavily criticized by Biden and other Democrats, including the migrant flights.
Florida GOP Sen. Rick Scott last month sent a letter asking state leaders to return their pandemic relief money in order to help pay down the federal debt. DeSantis said, however, that returning the money would not have a huge impact on the nation’s debt.
“If you look at how much money that is … it’s like $100 million, $200 million, a few hundred million,” DeSantis said Wednesday. “How much dent would that make in the debt?”
DeSantis also wants $2 billion in tax cuts, including permanently removing state sales taxes on baby and toddler necessities like cribs and strollers — as well as for gas stoves. Gas stoves have become the newest wedge issue after some liberal cities have sought to ban them in new construction to reduce carbon footprints and for health reasons. The Biden administration does not support banning gas stoves.
“They want your gas stove, and we are not going to let that happen,” DeSantis said.
Other provisions in DeSantis’ proposal:
- $65 million for a state worker pay increase, including a 5 percent across-the-board increase and 10 percent increases for positions deemed “hard to hire” for.
- The budget unveiled Wednesday by DeSantis would put a record $25.9 billion in the Florida Education Finance Program, the state’s central pot of education funding, which represents an increase of $1.4 billion, or 5.8 percent, compared with current-year spending.
- On the environment, the governor said his proposed budget provides $1.1 billion for Everglades restoration and water quality programs, including $200 million for replacing septic tanks with sewer system hookups. And he said the proposal includes $406 million for coastal resiliency projects and planning. And it includes $75 million for land acquisition at the Department of Environmental Protection in addition to $25 million for local park grant programs through DEP. The budget proposal does not include money through the agriculture department for conservation easements.
- The proposal also calls for a health care budget of $47.3 billion, which is a decrease from the $48.9 billion budget that took effect in July.
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#DeSantis #builds #conservative #resume #114Bplus #budget
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )
February 2, 2023
New York’s massive budget surplus gives Hochul money to spend

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“This is a pivotal moment for our state,” Hochul said. “We can’t just sit on the sidelines and wish things were different. If we want to make real progress for our people, we can.”
She described the nuts and bolts of a series of proposals aimed at achieving the New York Dream that were broadly outlined in her State of the State address last month. And she’s benefiting from an $8.7 billion surplus thanks to higher-than-expected tax revenue to fund projects and programs to appease a wide variety of constituencies.

Hochul described the nuts and bolts of a series of proposals aimed at achieving the New York Dream that were broadly outlined in her State of the State address last month.
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Hans Pennink/AP Photo
Hochul wants record increases in education and Medicaid spending — to $34.4 billion and $27.8 billion respectively. Hochul’s plan would set aside more than $1 billion to help New York City pay some costs of providing social services to new asylum seekers.
She proposed new funding streams for the beleaguered Metropolitan Transportation Authority, including raising payroll taxes on downstate businesses, using revenue from planned casinos and setting aside $300 million in one-time aid. She also rejected any income tax increases.
She laid out various provisions of her plan for 800,000 new homes over the next decade, which would require municipalities around the state to meet housing production targets or make zoning changes.
And she announced a four-year extension for completing projects covered by the expired 421-a tax break, but did not suggest a specific replacement for the incentive program that builders say will be necessary for the kind of housing growth she is seeking.
Many of Hochul’s ideas carry broad conceptual support among Democrats looking to expand opportunities for communities that have historically been passed over, and Hochul will spend the next two months attempting to build consensus among members of the state Legislature for the fiscal year that starts April 1.
But she begins that process on rocky terms, at least in the Senate, where she’s threatened legal action after a Senate panel rejected her pick for chief judge last month. Leaders are downplaying any potential stalemates amid the acrimony. Hochul made a point to greet just two people — both Senate Majority Leader Andrea Stewart-Cousins and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie — before taking the podium Wednesday.

She also cracked open the door to some historically contentious debates in the Legislature, including permitting more charter schools across the state by lifting a regional cap in state law and expanding the amount of discretion that judges would have to set bail for more serious offenses.
She characterized both bail and charter school expansion as measures to provide clarity in otherwise odd implementations of the current status quo, rather than the political grenades they’ve become. Much of her election battle last year centered on rising crime and criticism of the state’s bail laws.
“Let’s just simply provide clarity,” she said of her bail law proposal. “Let’s ensure judges consider factors for serious offenders. And let’s leave the law where it is for low level offense and move forward to focus on two other public safety challenges.”

Andrea Stewart-Cousins, left, and Carl Heastie listen to Kathy Hochul present her executive state budget. Hochul made a point to greet both Heastie and Stewart-Cousins before taking the podium Wednesday.
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Hans Pennink/AP Photo
Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, during an availability with reporters following Hochul’s address, said he was briefed the previous evening but was still, “wrapping his arms around” Hochul’s proposals.
He did note that charter school expansion has typically been “tough” for his conference; the powerful teachers unions oppose an expansion. And he’s skeptical of any suggestion that the state’s bail laws are the solution to increases in crime, instead suggesting that the Legislature should take a more holistic approach.
“We’ve got to get off that focus on those four letters [B.A.I.L] and start looking at the entire totality of public safety,” he said.
The state is on sound financial footing this year, and officials project the $8.7 billion surplus can be used to help the state build its reserves to 15 percent of state operating funds by 2025.
Progressive groups analyzing Hochul’s proposal were quick to point out what they saw as missed opportunities when the state has the cash to take aggressive action, including affordable housing advocates who say tenants rights should take precedence in trying to make New York more affordable.
“Governor Hochul’s plan prioritizes deregulation and luxury housing production. It is for real estate moguls, not working families,” tenants rights activist Cea Weaver said in a response from the Housing Justice for All coalition she represents.
Hochul said that political dynamics surrounding her election and legislative relationships did not play into how she chose to craft the budget proposal when asked about a proposed expansion of an MTA payroll tax that would affect suburban counties. She did not largely do well in the suburbs last November.
“Nothing I do in the budget is driven by politics, elections, outcomes,” she said. “I’m guided by what is best for New Yorkers.”
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#Yorks #massive #budget #surplus #Hochul #money #spend
( With inputs from : www.politico.com )

February 2, 2023
Culture Ministry gets more allocations in Union Budget

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New Delhi: With a focus on celebrations under the ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ programme commemorating 75 years of India’s Independence, the outlay for annual budget 2023-24 of the Ministry of Culture has been enhanced to Rs 3,399.65 crore as against an outlay of Rs 3,009.05 crore approved in the previous Budget plan of 2022-2023. The annual outlay in FY 2023-24 is 12.97 per cent higher than the annual outlay of FY 2022-23.
Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget speech on Wednesday made an announcement to set up Bharat Shared Repository of Inscriptions (BharatSHRI), a digital epigraphy museum, with the digitisation of one lakh ancient inscriptions in the first stage.
The BharatSHRI will be set up by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) in Hyderabad.
Out of the total outlay for Budget 2023-24, Rs 1,102.83 crore has been allocated to the ASI for protection, preservation and conservation of Centrally protected monuments/sites and excavations of ancient monuments and archaeological sites.
There is an increase of 2.08 per cent of provisioned outlay for ASI in BE 2023-2024 (Rs 1,102.83 crore) as compared to BE 2022-23 of Rs 1,080.34 crore.
The Finance Ministry has allocated Rs 1,046.22 crore to the central autonomous bodies, which include academies, museums, libraries and other cultural institutions across India to support their programmes and activities.
This outlay includes provisions for two attached offices, six subordinate offices, 34 central autonomous bodies and schemes of the Ministry during the financial year 2023-24.
In FY 2023-24, an enhanced amount of Rs 650.74 crore (22.19 per cent) has been allocated for the implementation of the Central sector schemes of the ministry.

The Ministry of Culture being the nodal agency for ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’, a special provision has been made under the centenary and anniversary celebration scheme of the ministry in the revised outlay of FY 2022-23 and in the Budget outlay of FY 2023-24 to undertake commemoration activities.
As per the anticipated expenditure for ‘Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav’ and other commemorations, the revised estimate has been increased to Rs 353.82 crore from the budget estimate of Rs 110.00 crore during the current year.
For FY 2023-24, a provision of Rs 185.00 crore has been made to commemorate the centenaries/birth anniversaries of eminent persons. The provision for 2023-24 under this scheme marks a 68.18 per cent increase over BE 2022-23.
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#Culture #Ministry #allocations #Union #Budget
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 2, 2023
Defence Budget: Focus on operational preparedness; thrust on Agniveers’ training

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New Delhi: In the Defence Budget, the focus has been given towards maintaining a high-level of Operational Preparedness of the Services to face the current and future challenges, while the non-salary revenue operational allocation gets a boost of Rs 27,570 crore, with the budgetary outlay under this segment augmented from Rs 62,431 crore in BE 2022-23 to Rs 90,000 crore in BE 2023-24.
The enhanced allocations in the Budget will also cater to Training Aids and Simulators for Agniveers and ensure that they achieve the set standards of training for induction into the Defence Forces.
“This will cater to sustenance of weapon systems, platforms including ships/ aircraft and their logistics; boost fleet serviceability; emergency procurement of critical ammunition and spares; procuring/hiring of niche capabilities to mitigate capability gaps wherever required; progress stocking of military reserves, strengthening forward defences, amongst others,” said the Ministry of Defence.
As a precursor to this increase in the Non-Salary Revenue segment, the government during the Mid-term review had also enhanced the operational allotments of the current financial year by Rs 26,000 crore, which works out as 42 per cent of the present allocation.
This unprecedented increase in the Revised Estimates 2022-23 has ensured liquidation of the entire carry over liabilities during the current year, thereby, ensuring that there is no dent in next year’s operational outlay of the services.
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#Defence #Budget #Focus #operational #preparedness #thrust #Agniveers #training
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 1, 2023
UK business and financial circles describe Indian Budget as very encouraging, stabilising

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London: The Union Budget tabled by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Wednesday has been widely welcomed in the UK business and financial circles as “very encouraging” for the bilateral partnership and also India’s attractiveness as an investment destination.
The highlights flagged by many include the enhanced infrastructure spending focus, which offers great opportunities for foreign investors, and a focus on green growth. A series of measures to tackle the ease of doing business in the country is another aspect of the Budget that has received a big thumbs up.
“The hallmark of the Budget is continuity, stability and fiscally responsible growth,” said Loknath Mishra, MD & CEO of ICICI Bank UK Plc and Chair of the Financial Services Committee of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) UK Council.
“The significant increase in capex allocation will set the country on a sustained growth path. India will emerge stronger as a destination for investment by non-resident Indians (NRIs) and foreign investors,” he said.
Anuj Chande, Partner and Head of South Asia Group, Grant Thornton LLP in London, dubbed the Budget as “very encouraging”, particularly from a foreign investor point of view.
“The message is that private investment must step in and there’s a big opportunity there for foreign investors, particularly UK investors to participate in the building of that infrastructure. The UK has some terrific expertise and talent in the area of road building, railways and airports which can help India achieve the earmarked spend,” said Chande.
The adviser for many UK corporates going into India also welcomed the ease of doing measures unveiled in the Budget, such as plans for 39,000 compliances being reduced.
“As it is, India has been creeping up on the World Bank Doing Business rankings and all these measures will help improve that ranking further,” he said.

“The 7 per cent growth rate that was announced in the Budget is remarkable by any means. UK investors, particularly in the SME and mid-market, have not necessarily focused on India and looked at the market opportunity, both in terms of market access and talent access and the ability to help India in its growth plans. My overall message would be: please do consider India as being a great destination to either trade or invest in,” he added.
Steve Harvey, Director of global services provider Sannam S4 and Chair of the Education Committee of the FICCI UK Council, hailed advances in the skills development sector.
“There are many good reasons to be excited about India’s economy in 2023 and beyond. This year, as India hosts and chairs the G20, there is much for India to be proud of, not least of which are the changes in the education landscape in recent years – including the National Education Policy and the implementation of increased technology-enabled learning, setting the pace for significant skills development for India’s young people,” said Harvey.
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#business #financial #circles #describe #Indian #Budget #encouraging #stabilising
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 1, 2023
‘Injustice to Telangana once again’: BRS slams Budget

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Hyderabad: Telangana’s ruling party Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has slammed the Union Budget saying that the state has once again received a “raw deal” in the Union Budget.
In his reaction to the Union Budget 2023-24 presented in the Parliament on Wednesday, state Finance Minister T. Harish Rao said that the Centre has “again done injustice to Telangana”. He said that there was “no mention of fulfilling commitments made to the state in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act”.
Rao said that despite repeated demands for the last nine years to set up a rail coaching factory, the Centre remained indifferent.
He described the budget as “flimsy”.
Rao said that weavers were not provided GST relief and incentives, while there was a drastic cut on fertiliser subsidy. He said injustice was done to Telangana in allocation of nursing and medical colleges.
He claimed that the number of beneficiaries under the PM Kishan scheme has been slashed.
The minister pointed out that last year, Rs 9,243 crore were allocated for procurement of cotton through Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) but this year only Rs 1 lakh has been allocated. “This as a grave injustice to cotton farmers.”
He also accused the Centre of not adhering to Fiscal Responsibility & Budget Management (FRBM) norms. He reiterated that the states were losing their share in taxes due to cesses and surcharges. He also complained of a major cut in allocations for Centrally sponsored schemes.

Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy alleged that the allocation for agriculture has been slashed by 22 per cent. He said that this again proved that the government at the Centre is “anti-farmer”.
The minister said the Centre has cut the allocation for MNREGA by Rs 29,400 crore while the allocation for PM Kisan Nidhi has not been enhanced.
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#Injustice #Telangana #BRS #slams #Budget
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 1, 2023
‘Injustice to Telangana once again’: BRS slams Budget

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Hyderabad: Telangana’s ruling party Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has slammed the Union Budget saying that the state has once again received a “raw deal” in the Union Budget.
In his reaction to the Union Budget 2023-24 presented in the Parliament on Wednesday, state Finance Minister T. Harish Rao said that the Centre has “again done injustice to Telangana”. He said that there was “no mention of fulfilling commitments made to the state in Andhra Pradesh Reorganisation Act”.
Rao said that despite repeated demands for the last nine years to set up a rail coaching factory, the Centre remained indifferent.
He described the budget as “flimsy”.
Rao said that weavers were not provided GST relief and incentives, while there was a drastic cut on fertiliser subsidy. He said injustice was done to Telangana in allocation of nursing and medical colleges.
He claimed that the number of beneficiaries under the PM Kishan scheme has been slashed.
The minister pointed out that last year, Rs 9,243 crore were allocated for procurement of cotton through Cotton Corporation of India (CCI) but this year only Rs 1 lakh has been allocated. “This as a grave injustice to cotton farmers.”
He also accused the Centre of not adhering to Fiscal Responsibility & Budget Management (FRBM) norms. He reiterated that the states were losing their share in taxes due to cesses and surcharges. He also complained of a major cut in allocations for Centrally sponsored schemes.

Agriculture Minister S. Niranjan Reddy alleged that the allocation for agriculture has been slashed by 22 per cent. He said that this again proved that the government at the Centre is “anti-farmer”.
The minister said the Centre has cut the allocation for MNREGA by Rs 29,400 crore while the allocation for PM Kisan Nidhi has not been enhanced.
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#Injustice #Telangana #BRS #slams #Budget
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 1, 2023
Union budget 2023-24 funds for Minority affairs ministry reduced by over 38%

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New Delhi: The budgetary allocation for the Minority Affairs Ministry has been reduced by over 38 percent to Rs 3097.60 crore for 2023-24 as compared with the last fiscal, according to budget documents presented Wednesday.
The budget allocation for 2022-23 was Rs 5020.50 for the ministry, however the revised estimate was Rs 2612.66, as per the documents.
The budget estimate for the Ministry of Minority Affairs this year is Rs 3097.60.
Of the proposed allocation to the ministry, Rs 1,689 crore is for education empowerment.
Over 64.4 crore has been allocated for Skill Development and Livelihoods.
The Budget estimate for umbrella programme for development of minorities is Rs 610 crore.
Minority Affairs Minister Smriti Irani hailed the Union Budget saying, “Congratulations to PM @narendramodi Ji & FM @nsitharaman Ji for a truly ‘Amrit Kaal Budget’ epitomising inclusive development & reinforcing economic fundamentals.”
“Emphasis given to infra, tech, green energy & other areas will institutionalise India’s growth for a stronger tomorrow,” she said.

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#Union #budget #funds #Minority #affairs #ministry #reduced
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 1, 2023
Odisha CM expresses concern on reduction of MGNREGS, food security in Union Budget

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Bhubaneswar: Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Wednesday expressed concern over reduction of funds for MGNREGS and food security scheme in the Union Budget for 2023-24.
Patnaik said the budget has some good aspects which needs to be appreciated and there are some concerns which need to be looked into, and addressed.
“I have concerns regarding the drastic reduction of funds for MGNREGS. This will hit the poor people. The reduction in food security budget along with reduction in procurement will hit the poor people as well as farmers,” he said.
About Rs 80,000 crores was spent on procurement in 2021-22 while only about Rs 60,000 crores is kept in this budget. This will cause serious problems in selling crops at Minimum Support Price (MSP), he said.
While in 2021-22 an amount of Rs 2 lakh crores was spent under the National Food Security Act (NFSA), in this budget only Rs 1.37 lakh crore is kept for this purpose, pointed out the CM.
Patnaik also said that there has been a decrease or no growth in health and education sectors.
He further said that the budget provision for Ayushman Bharat scheme is Rs 7,200 crore for the entire country while Odisha spends almost about Rs 2,400 crore on Biju Swasthya Kalyan Yojana (BSKY) in private facilities alone.
“If we include government facilities, it would be around Rs 6,000 crores annually under the BSKY. Health is an important priority for our state and we believe in investing and in sincere efforts,” he said.

Slamming the Odisha BJP leaders, who are pressing hard for implementation of the Ayushman Bharat scheme in Odisha, Patnaik said he now hopes that the BJP state leadership will stop hoodwinking the people of Odisha.
Speaking about the good steps taken by the Centre in the Budget, he said the increased capital investment, support to drinking water initiatives, and increasing rural housing will accelerate growth as well as have social impact in rural areas.
He also welcomed the Prime Minister’s thrust on millets. Stating that Odisha Millet Mission is a pioneering initiative in the country, Patnaik said he feels happy that millets have been given importance in the budget.
“The focus on new world technologies like artificial intelligence, internet of things etc. is appreciable. These are some of the good aspects of the budget. The focus on primitive tribal groups is a welcome step,” he added.
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#Odisha #expresses #concern #reduction #MGNREGS #food #security #Union #Budget
( With inputs from www.siasat.com )

February 1, 2023