The District Panchayat will spend ₹204 crore, mostly on food production, waste disposal projects and women’s welfare, during the new financial year as per the budget presented on Wednesday by District Panchayat Vice President Abdul Muthaleeb. The budget envisages an income of ₹204.72 crore and expenditure of ₹203.96 crore.
One of the highlights of the budget is the allocation it has made for a plant for purification and supply of bottled drinking water from the river Periyar under the brand name “Periyar”, said an official release. The plant will be set up at the district agricultural farm in Aluva. The water will be sold for ₹12 per litre and if the empty bottles are returned, the person will be paid ₹2. This is to check the dumping of plastic bottles. In keeping with the push for solar power, the District Panchayat has allotted ₹60 lakh for solar power generation. The areas that get special attention under the budget include welfare of children and differently abled, organic vegetable production, aquaculture and dairy development. These sectors have received a hike in spending ranging between five and 10 per cent when compared with the previous budget, said District Panchayat President Asha Sanil.
The budget has given special attention to food production as shown by the substantial allocation to various projects such as seed production, popularising fish farming and dairying. The Neriamangalam district farm will get ₹62 lakh; the Aluva seed production centre has been allotted ₹50 lakh; the Okkal farm has been given ₹32 lakh; coconut nursery has been allocated ₹40 lakh; fruits cultivation gets ₹25 lakh and projects to increase fish production has been allotted ₹35 lakh.
