The District Panchayat vice-president, George Mammen Kondoor, has presented the annual Budget of the panchayat for 2020-’21, envisaging a total revenue worth ₹306.61 crore and an expenditure ₹304.88, leaving behind a surplus of ₹1.72 crore.
The Budget has given special emphasis on health against the backdrop of the COVID-19 pandemic, agriculture, and education sectors.
This is the fifth and the last Budget of the incumbent panchayat committee the five-year term of which expires this year.
Presenting the Budget at the panchayat conference hall here on Monday, Mr. Kondoor said an allocation of ₹14.25 crore has been made for the health sector.
He said a permanent isolation ward would be set up at the District Hospital in Kozhencherry and the work on the sewage treatment plant at the District Hospital would be completed this year itself.
A tribal Homoeo mobile unit would be launched this year and projects like `Seethalayam’ and `Sadgamaya’ would continue, he said.
Mr Kondoor said a total of ₹9.5 crore has been set apart for the Agriculture sector and the panchayat would continue its ‘Ponkathir’ scheme aimed at extending a helping hand to the paddy farmers in the district.
He said a Karshika Karma Sena would be constituted for imparting training to the farm workers on the use of various modern mechanized farm implements.
Mr Kondoor said a Budget allocation of ₹9.65 crore has been made for the education sector.
He said the proposed ‘clean toilet’ project, health clubs and yoga classes would be launched at all schools attached to the District panchayat.
The ‘Snehamrithom’ project aimed at providing free meals to all students at higher secondary level and the `Saphalom’ project for the high school children would begin this year.
The annual Budget has made an allocation worth ₹8.5 crore for the housing sector.
The panchayat would continue financial assistance for housing under the Life Mission scheme, he said.
A total of ₹47.55 crore has been earmarked for public works like resurfacing of roads, and construction of drainages, culverts, protection walls, he said.
Labour sector
Mr Kondoor has made Budget allocations worth ₹177 crore for the labour sector, ₹5 crore for drinking water supply, ₹2.4 crore for soil conservation, ₹3.8 crore for the welfare of women and children, ₹1.1 crore for the energy sector, ₹1 crore for sports and youth welfare, ₹3.3 crore sanitation and waste disposal, and ₹93,000 for small scale industries.
The District Panchayat president, Annapoorna Devi presided over the meeting.
