Odisha government's fiscal performance improves by 2018-end

The Odisha government's fiscal performance has shown an upward trend by end of December 2018 in terms of revenue generation and utilisation of budgeted funds, Finance Secretary A K Meena said Tuesday. "The budget utilization in different programmes being executed through various departments recorded a growth of around 26 per cent by end of December 2018 with actual expenditure of Rs 39,820 crore," Meena said. He said that the total programme expenditure in the social sector by end of December has grown by 56 per cent over the corresponding period of 2017-18.

The actual expenditure under social sector crossed Rs 21,245 crore against the last year's spending of Rs 13,912 crore during the same period, Meena said. The projects under social sector are executed and monitored through the departments of Panchayati Raj and Drinking Water, Women & Child Development School & Mass Education, ST & SC Development, Health & Family Welfare, Higher Education, Skill Development and Technical Education, Social Security and Empowerment of Persons with Disability.

Similarly, the total expenditure in the infrastructure sector has reached Rs 8,513 crore marking a growth of around 3 per cent over the corresponding period of the last fiscal. The total expenditure in agriculture and allied sector has also touched Rs 8,201 crore, he said. The total expenditure has grown by 4 per cent in agriculture and farmers empowerment, 41 per cent in fisheries and animal resource development, and 23 per cent in the activities under the cooperation department.

Keeping pace with the expenditure, the total revenue generation has also grown around 19 per cent by end of December 2018, the finance secretary said adding that the total revenue generation by December-end in 2017-18 fiscal was around Rs 25,023 crore against which current year collection up to same period has been Rs 29,665 crores. The revenue from non-tax sources have grown by 60 per cent with a total collection of Rs 8,556 crore while the revenue from own-tax sources has grown by 7 per cent with the total collection of Rs 21,109 crore, he said.

The revenue generation from mining royalty and industrial water rate has increased by around 70 per cent and 14 per cent respectively, Meena said. The total collection from mining royalty has been around Rs 7,185 crore against last year's collection of Rs 4,217 crore up to December-end. Similarly, the revenue collection from industrial water has grown up to Rs 454 crore against last year's collection of Rs 406 crore during the same period. The revenue collection from duties and electricity has also grown by 73 per cent with a total collection of Rs 2,309 crore.

Reviewing fiscal performances of various departments at a meeting chaired by him, Chief Secretary A K Padhi directed the departments to avoid parking of money in any account and draw only the actual expenditure from the budget allocation. He also directed the departments to focus on resource mobilization and regularly update their programme-wise performance on the web portal. The departments were further asked to expedite disposal of the old litigations pending in several courts through a special drive.

(With inputs from agencies.)