THIRUVANANTHAPURAM : The Annual Budget is being presented amid serious challenges that overhangs the country, said Finance Minister Thomas Isaac as he began the Assembly’s budget session on Friday. Democracy gets pushed to a face-off with dictatorship with a governance that believes violence is karma(duty).
The Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) is spreading fear and insecurity among the country’s population, Isaac said in this budget speech. Centre’s budget is meant to benefit wealthy corporates rather than common people. Though consumer State, Kerala does not benefit from GST proceeds. The country is slipping into economic crisis similar to that of 2009. The Union government is a loser on the economic front.
The 15th Finance Commission has impinged on rights of the State. It is citizen’s register rather than economic distress that is a priority with the Centre.
Budget Highlights :
- All Social Welfare Pensions shall be increased.
- Rs 1000 Crores for rural roads
- Rs 1102 crore reserved for Public Works
- Number of water connections to be increased. Rs 12,074 for local self-governing bodies
- Electricity output to increase by 500 MV
- For those without own homes, 1 lakh houses and flats to be built under government housing project in 2020-21
- In the tenure of present government so far, five Lakh children joined schools under public education system
- Similarly from efforts made by the current government, paddy cultivation in the State that shrunk to 1.7 lakh acres has spiked to 2.03 lakh acres
- Production at Public Sector Units(PSUs) in the State rose to the tune of Rs 3442 from Rs 2799 earlier
- PSUs that ran on losses aggregating to Rs 213 core in 2015-16 are now operating in profit.
- KIIFB will shell out Rs 20,000 crore in 2020-21
- 20 Flyovers, 74 bridges and 44 stadiums shall be will be constructed on funds from KIIFB. A drinking water project with costs up to Rs 4,383 core will also be implemented.
- Those who have procured work orders from the government will become eligible for loans up to Rs 10 crore
- Those who have obtained Purchase Orders can avail discounts for which, Rs 10 crore has been sanctioned to KSFE.
- Rs 1675 crore has been set aside for the energy sector. 500 mv solara energy shall be generated in 2020-21 for which Purampuram solar energy project shall be expanded.
- Sale of CFL bulbs to be prohibited from Nov 2020. Additional transmission lines shall be set up to counter power loss.
- Greenfield Railway to become a reality with new roads and townships becoming part of that project.
- Rs 3025 crore allotted for Kochi metro lines connecting Pettah with Thripunitura and those between Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium and Kakkanad.
- Big expansion projects worth Rs 6,000 crore to be carried out in Kochi
- The West Coast inland waterway project in partnership with CIAL is progressing well. Kovalam waterway will open to traffic in 2020-21. The canal presently measures 18=20 meter in width, which would be expanded to 40 m by 2025. Once operational, 50 percent of road cargo would be ferried along this route.
- The Public Works Department is presently engaged in constructions worth Rs 25,000 crore. It shall complete 5000 km road works in the coming financial year.
- “All Bus” cluster has been formed comprising all bus operators. Smart services including e-ticket shall be launched.
- Rs 20 crore shall be set aside to transform Kerala into ‘hunger free state’.
- Rs 1000 crore for vegetable and flower cultivation
- Haritha Keralam Mission to oversee 20,000 acres of organic farming. Rs 7 crore allotted to the project.
- Rs 20 crore to revive dying rivers. Clean Kerala company to be paid Rs 20 crore to cleanse 50,000 km of stream stretch.
- She-lodges in all cities. Rs 1509 set aside for women budget
- 1000 Kudumbasree eateries providing Rs 25 meal to be set up
- Approval for new palliative care scheme . Database to be prepared on details of people
- Budget allotment for NRI department raised to Rs 90 crore from a previous Rs 90 crore. Care home project to be implemented for old citizens residing abroad.
- Rs 323 crores for promoting State tourism.
- Muziris, the heritage conservation project, to be carried out in 2021. Alappuzha to made heritage town.
- Fishermen and machines to be engaged to cleanse backwaters right up to its floors and haul up muck making it more fertile.
- Rs 50 crore for Medical Service Corporation. Costs of cancer drugs to be slashed.
- Rs 1000 crore i from KIIFB funds for flood related compensations in Idduki. Rebuilding roads to be prioritized in the district. Idduki to have new air strip.
- Land acquisition for high-speed rail to commence this year. Travel from Thiruvananthapuram to Kasaragod on Rs 1450 ticket.
- All govt housing projects to be part of Life Mission
- Special schemes for Idduki. Organic farming to be made more widespread. Rs 200 crore from Rebuild Kerala to be utilised for the purpose.
- “Palakkad Rice Park” to be set operational by 2021. Two more rice parks to come up in the State
- Rs 3 Crore for Vazhakullam pineapple processing unit. Facilities to be set up at Thrissur Agropark for producing wine from bananas.
- Honorarium for Asha workers to be raised by Rs 500. Families left out of other health schemes to be allowed benefits of Karunya.
- 60 Colleges to be opened for quality education. Special Committees to be set up for the purpose. New courses to commence in colleges with A+ accreditation for which teachers shall be appointed on temporary basis.
- By 2021, 500 panchayats and 50 corporations including Thiruvananthapuram would be equipped with waste management units for complete management of solid wastes.
- Annual income of coir workers will be raised to minimum of Rs 50,000 in the year 2020-21
- 3 new factories to be set up under Coir Corporation Board. Coir rice factory to be set up in partnership with foreign company at Walayar.
- Rubber Parks to be set up this year. First phase to be worked in 500 acres at Veloor News Print.
- Rs 40 crore towards schemes and farms to increase dairy output in the State.
- Rs 118 crore towards providing 25 percent subsidy for coconut oil related entrepreneurial activities.
- Rs 15 crore for handicraft industry.
- Rs 135 crore for expansion of cashew secot
- Rs 24 crore for Vayomitra project. Rs 50 crore for the welfare of different abled Rs 10 crore set aside for autism patients aged above 18. Rs 40 crore for setting up 290 schools for children suffering from autism.
- In higher education sector where there are no teachers presently for courses offered, govt shall issue notification this March in order to create required number of posts.
- Life Mission to provide homes to 15,000 families belonging to scheduled caste and 5000 families from the scheduled tribe.
- Rs 3 crore for women film directors. Rs 3 crore for women directors from scheduled tribe. Rs 5 core for Mazhavill Scheme.
- Kudumbasree’s Ayalkudumbam to be set up for transgenders
- Rs 7 crore for short film academy
- Rs 5 core to built KM Memorial. Rs 1 core for Unnai Warrier Cultural Centre. Rs 75 lakhs for Yesudas digital library.
- No purchasing new cars. Agreement signed with central govt undertaking ESSL for hiring cars on monthly rental. If electric cars become available, a minimum of Rs 7.5 crore could be saved on 1000 cars.
- Shall cut down expenditure. Ineligible individuals shall be removed form welfare schemes. 4.98 lakh people to be delisted leading to savings of Rs 700 crore.
- Restrictions imposed on new postings. Staff from check posts shifted to Lottery department.
- Law to be formulated to regulate appointments to aided schools. No appoints shall take place without notifying government KER to be amended for the purpose.
- Buses belonging private educational institutions to have higher taxes. Taxes on Stage Carriers would be slashed by 10 percent. Tax on print advertisements on Transport to be Rs 20 and that of digital by Rs 40.
- Cameras installed at borders would be used to track details of cargo vehicles. A system to compare footage data with e-way billing is almost ready. Once implemented, it will help control smuggling across State limits.
- 17614 vacancies were filled during the tenure of current government so far. Posts created in aided schools in violation of rules, shall be cancelled. Muster of old citizens on welfare pensions shall be complete in a few days.
- The govt will counter tax evasion. Will increase GST revenue. At least 50 percent of GST dues under disputes should be deposited. The govt will engage electric cars for its transport needs, thereby saving Rs 1000 crore. The envisaged savings could go up to Rs 1500 if there is no disruption to course of measures.
- No tax shall be mounted on e-Lotteries during the first five years of its launch. Cost of high-end bikes to be raised. A 1 percent tax on bikes up to 1 lakh and 2 percent tax on all private vehicles costing 15 lakhs or above.
- Mining sands at dam sites to continue. Tenders have been called for the purpose at Mangalam dam. Sand mining at 6 dams to commence shortly.
- Tax on homes to go up. Rs 5000 in taxes for houses measuring 3000 – 5000 sq ft. Rs 7500 for houses measuring 7500 sq ft. Rebate on Income tax if home tax is paid for 5 years in lumpsum. Rs 200 to be charged for Location map from village. Village registration(poku varavu) fees to be raised. One-time settlement for pending lease amounts against government lands.
- Fair price for land to be raised by 10%. Fair price on lands with proximity to govt’s mega projects, to be raised by 30%.
- Village registration fees on filled wetlands to be higher than other category.
Budget Estimate For 2020 - (in Crores)
Revenue Income 114635.90
Revenue Expenditure - 129837.37
Income Deficit -15201.47
Capital Expenditure -12863.21
Loans and Caution Deposits -1230.70
Public Debt- )24491.91
Public Account- 4750
Net Deficit -53.47
Balance Brought Forward-317.80
Balance Carried Forward -371.27
Additional Expenditure Announced Newly -632.93
Tax Rebate
Surplus Reserve 1103
Year end Balance 8.8
