The budget presented by the Kannur district panchayat on Monday laid stress on agriculture, and water and power conservation, and various social welfare projects.
The budget, which envisages an expenditure of Rs.69.07 crore, revenue of Rs.85.47 crore, and surplus of Rs.16.39 crore, was presented by T. Krishnan, vice president and chairman, Finance standing committee. District panchayat president K.A. Sarala presided over the presentation.
A total of Rs.8.63 crore has been allocated for projects to conserve agriculture, soil and water. Nearly Rs.1.94 crore has been earmarked for drinking water projects. Rainwater reservoirs, watersheds, and ponds will be protected, and new ones built in the 26 district panchayat divisions at a cost of Rs.3 crore.
An amount of Rs.4.5 crore has been earmarked for the social welfare sector, including Rs.30 lakh each for a home nursing unit and widows’ welfare schemes and Rs.80 lakh for a pain and palliative care project. Rs.30 lakh has been set aside for constructing the headquarters of the Aroodam scheme at Chattukappara. A bread-making unit and grain powdering unit will be started in the Kannur central jail, for which Rs.20 lakh has been allocated. The poultry farm in the jail will be allotted Rs.34 lakh. A sum of Rs.40 lakh has been allocated for infrastructural development of the Buds School. A sum of Rs.2.44 crore has been earmarked for the development of Scheduled Tribes. Rs.2 lakh for the Thudi literacy programme and Rs.1.65 crore for housing development are the other allocations for this sector.
Schedules Caste development projects will get Rs.4.28 crore. This includes Rs.1.48 crore for housing, Rs.75 lakh for potable water, and Rs.45 lakh for job training programmes.
Women’s welfare schemes have been allotted Rs.1 crore. This includes rehabilitation of sex workers at a total expense of Rs.10 lakh.
A total sum of Rs.26.78 crore has been set aside for roads belonging to the district panchayat. Projects for installing solar lights in Model High School and hospitals with the assistance of ANERT are planned, for which Rs.53 lakh has been allocated. Moves are on to revive the hydroelectric project at Peravoor, for which Rs.74 lakh has been handed over to ANERT.
The budget announced extension of the Mukulam project from class 8 to the Plus Two levels. A proposal for NABARD assistance of Rs.85.48 crore will be submitted with the State government’s recommendation for the completion of 21 higher secondary school complexes and starting work on 12 school complexes. An amount of Rs.50 lakh for purchasing computers for government primary schools and Rs.30 lakh for water and electricity have been earmarked.
