December 13, 2024 18:39 (IST)
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Amit Mitra presents WB Budget 2016-17, promises 22 lakh jobs this fiscal
Kokata, June 24 (IBNS): State Finance Minister Amit Mitra placed the interim budget for 2016-17 in the West Bengal Assembly on Friday where he announced that 22 lakh new employment opportunities will be created this year.
Speaking during the budget presentation, Mitra said, "Capital Expenditure in 2015-16 rose seven fold over the capital expenditure in 2010-11. GSDP has risen to Rs 9,20,083 crore. Revenue has risen from Rs 20,000 crore to Rs 42,000 crore. Fiscal deficit was 4.2% in 2010-11 and now it is 2.6%."
Alleging that the state is still under huge debt left by the earlier government, he said: "We have followed fiscal discipline. We spent over Rs 94,000 crore to repay the debt incurred by the Left Front."
Mitra said several schemes of Bengal have been adopted as models by other States.
He informed that the revenue deficit has come down to 1.03%.
Mitra said that institutional delivery has increased from 68 to 90%.
"30 lakh farmer families have received compensation after floods. There has been a five-fold increase in the disbursal of loans to Self Help Groups. Infant mortality in Bengal has come down from 32 to 27 per 1000 live births," said he.
"We have sanctioned new permits for 4,000 new routes; this is unprecedented. We have registered 78,000 folk artistes under Lok Prasar Prakalpa," Mitra said.
The Finance Minister said UN has appreciated Bengal for Nirmal Bangla Mission; four top districts in India in the cleanliness mission are from Bengal.
"We have focussed on the MSME sector – bank funding has increased substantially, which is now the highest in India. We have organised Bengal Global Business Summit twice, which was attended by representatives of 31 nations," said he.
He mentioned that a new district was created out of Alipurduar.
Mitra had placed a vote-on-account earlier this year because of the election.
While presenting the vote-on-account in the Assembly earlier, Mitra had introduced no new taxes and proposed a 17% hike in Plan outlay, amounting to Rs 57,905 crore, for financial year 2017.
The Finance Minister listed the Government’s “unprecedented” allocation in the social sector, while pointing out that the debt-ridden State has received no help from the Centre in terms of debt moratorium.
He added that the State, on the basis of Gross Value Added, has expanded at 12% against the national growth of 7.3%.
Mitra claimed that the State had set a record in terms of expenditure in the social sector — increasing rural development budget four times, health budget three times, minority development budget five times and agricultural budget three times, and creating planned expenditure for women and child welfare.
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