IMPHAL, March 20: Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh today presented a Vote on Account for the first four months beginning in April this year and Revised Estimates for the financial year 2011-12 on the second day of the first session of the 10th Manipur Assembly.
The Chief Minister assured members that the full budget of the financial year would be presented after finalizing the annual plan.
The 2012-13 tentative budget shows total receipts at Rs. 7863.71 crore, which is an increase of 17 per cent over the Revised Estimates of 2011-12.
The state’s own tax and non-tax reciepts assumed in the 2012-13 budget estimates is Rs. 358.46 crore while it is Rs. 314.47 crore in 2011-12.
The total expenditure for 2012-13 is Rs. 3290 crore under Plan, which is tentative, Rs. 5398.61 crore under non-Plan and Rs. 467.37 crore under centrally sponsored schemes, central plan schemes and NEC schemes.
The Chief Minister, who also holds the finance portfolio, said the fiscal deficit was estimated to be Rs. 2317.66 crore.
The budget listed 20 thrust areas which include among others, improvement of performance of power sector, governance reforms, improvement of road connectivity especially in the hill areas, construction of Old Cachar Road and augmentation of storage capacity of PDS items in the districts.
Ibobi Singh said, his main focus would be on key sectors of power, water supply and road connectivity in the next five years.
The Annual Plan size is yet to be fixed because of the election and the full budget would be presented after finalization of the plan, the chief minister said.
The Chief Minister also focused on implementation of the 66 MW Loktak Downstream Project and 1500 Tipaimukh multi-purpose project.
CM Ibobi Singh said, “There is a lot of dissatisfaction among the general public over the state of power supply, lack of availability of drinking water and poor condition of roads in the State. We are fully conscious of this and the situation calls for urgent remedial action.”.
Expressing his happiness that for the first time since Manipur was granted statehood a single party secured more than two third majority of the House the Chief Minister said, all out efforts would be made to fulfill the promises made by the Congress and aspirations of the people.
The government’s priority list includes completion of Jiribam-Imphal railway line, doubling capacity of the Sekmai LPG bottling plant from 600 MT to 1200 MT, completion of rail-fed oil depot at Malom, Manipur Sericulture Project Phase II, development of IT Special Economic Zone (SEZ) and exploitation of tourism potential.
He said Manipur’s fiscal position was under “severe strain” and therefore his government would pursue fiscal consolidation by discouraging disproportionate increase in non-plan revenue expenditure, introducing austerity measures, limiting plan expenditure and improving collection from the state’s own sources of revenue, particularly from power sector.
Collection from power sector was much below the desired level, he said.