Welfare pension hiked, relief measures for farmers in Left govt's final budget
Thiruvananthapuram: Hike in welfare pensions and relief measures for farmers were proposed in the
Kerala 2021-22 budget presented on Friday by Finance Minister T M Thomas Isaac.
The budget announcements assume significance this time as the Assembly polls are just months away. It is the final budget for the present LDF government.
Though Isaac would present the last budget as a full-fledged one, the House would pass only a vote-on-account for four months as the tenure of the present government would end soon.
Beginning his speech by listing out various initiatives implemented by the state government to fight the
COVID-19 pandemic, the Finance Minister said the budget would be a vision document of the development and priorities in the post-COVID Kerala.
He said the Left government, which had fought two consecutive floods and novel coronavirus pandemic effectively, considered each challenge and crisis it confronted as new opportunities.
"The Left government ensured that no one sleeps hungry during the time of pandemic. it also instilled confidence in the minds of people," the minister said.
Giving thrust on higher education and employment along with social welfare measures in the budget, Isaac said eight lakh new job opportunities would be created in the state, and added 20 lakh people would be given employment in five years through digital platforms.
Wooing people at the grass-root level, various welfare pensions were raised to Rs 1,600 (which is Rs 1,500 at present) from this April.
The renovation of 4,830 km of roads would be completed, the minister said.
In a relief for farmers, the floor price of rubber was raised to Rs 170 while the procurement price of paddy increased to Rs 28 and coconut to Rs 32.
A total of 4,000 new posts in the health sector, skill mission to provide and improve skills to 50 lakh youth, laptops at subsidised rate for poor families, Rs 2,000 for infrastructure development in universities and so on were some among the significant annoucements.
Isaac also criticised the three contentious farm laws, against which farmers were agitating in New Delhi and the alleged "neo liberal" policies ofthe Centre.
- Rs 5 crore to erect memorial for MP Veerendra Kumar in Kozhikode
- Journalist, non-journalist pension increased by Rs 1000
- Press Club with accommodation facilities for women journalists in TVM
- Rs 5 crore for Media Academy
- Rs 31 crore for Economically Backward Classes among Forward Communities
- More BUDS schools to be opened in state
- Rs 112 crore for coir industry
- Rs 52 crore for handloom industry
- Rs 4 crore for handicraft industry
- Rs 5 crore for Bamboo Corporation
- NRI welfare pension increased to Rs 3500
- Rs 9 crore allotted for NRI welfare scheme
- Rs 100 crore for expat job scheme
- 3rd Loka Kerala Sabha to be convened by 2021 end
- Loans with subsidised interest rate for investors in tourism sector
- Rs 50,000 crore for 3 industrial corridors
- Rs 20 crore for resuming Champions Boat League
- Rs 22 crore for development of Techno Park
- Rs 36 crore for development of Info Park
- Rs 12 crore for development of Cyber Park
- Rs 40 crore for Kerala Innovation Challenge
- Rs 50 crore for start-up projects
- 20,000 job opportunities in start-ups
- KIIFB to provide Rs 125 crore for major universities
- Rs 5 crore allotted to headquarters of Higher Education Council
- Approval granted for 197 courses
- Rs 150 crore for digitalizing classrooms in affiliated colleges
- 500 new post-doctoral fellowships which provides Rs 50,000-Rs 1,00,000 per month
- Internet highway not to be monopolised in Kerala
- Marginalised sections to get laptops for half price
- 25 percent subsidy for buying laptops for BPL category
- IKFC, KSFE, Kerala bank loans for Work from Home schemes
- At least one laptop in all households
- K-FON to provide internet to all houses, offices
- K-FON to be completed by July
- Procurement price of coconut increased to Rs 32
- Procurement price of paddy increased to Rs 28
- Minimum price of rubber increased to Rs 170
- Rs 15,000 crore worth KIIFB project to be implemented
- 11.02 lakh drinking water connections given
- 11,580 kilometre roads constructed
- Rs 120 crore spent for NRI welfare schemes
- Govt plans to provide computer to job seekers
- 20 lakh jobs to be created in digital platform in 5 years
- Action plan to resolve unemployment