Annual Plan: Gujarat govt spent well on infrastructure, industry, neglected rural development, irrigation

By Our Representative
Fresh information disseminated by Gujarat’s independent budget-analysis centre, Pathey, has revealed that the Gujarat government has failed to spend a whopping Rs 5,712.56 crore in the annual plan for the financial year 2013-14, which comes to around 9.68 per cent of the total annual plan allocation, Rs 59,000 crore. Annual plan is the sum total of developmental expenditure a state seeks to incur over the year in order to render different socio- economic services to larger sections of population. Data suggest the state spends well when it comes to industry and infrastructure, but is a poor spender on social sector.
The annual plan does not include the so-called “necessary expenditure” which government must incur, for instance, for paying salary to government servants and debt servicing. Commenting on the shortfall, which has by now become an annual phenomenon, Pathey comments, “While it is a good sign that the Gujarat government has allocated Rs 71,330.44 crore as developmental expenditure for the current financial year, 2014-15, the fact remains that most of the government departments failed to spend amount allocated to them as annual plan.”

“While the total expenditure under the annual plan 2013-14 has been estimated at Rs 53,287.44 crore, expenditure under several heads suggests poor spending too”, Pathey says, adding, “The agriculture department failed to spend Rs 400.52 crore during the year, while rural development – which includes rural employment – failed to spend Rs 922.24 crore, or nearly 50 per cent, of the total allocation of Rs 1,844.13 crore.” Further: “On such social services such as education, health, water and social welfare the state government failed to spend Rs 3,927.06 crore, which is 15.81 per cent of the allocation (Rs 24831.4 crore).”

The situation is not very different for spending under other heads, Pathey says. Thus, for irrigation and flood control, the total spending came to 62.79 per cent of the allocation (Rs 12,735.12 crore), on science and technology the spending was 85.53 per cent of the allocated amount (Rs 423.06 crore), on general economic services the spending was 84.31 per cent of the allocated amount Rs 1,786.03 crore, on developing the border areas the spending was just 46.87 per cent of the allocated amount (Rs 229.45), and so on.
Pathey comments, “While there is a talk of development, the state’s malnutrition level remains high. According to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS), the infant mortality rate in Gujarat is 38 per 1,000 live births, which is higher than several states. Same is the case with the maternal mortality rate, which is 122 out of 1 lakh pregnant women. Further, while male literacy in Gujarat is 87.23 per cent, the female literacy is just about 70.13 per cent – which suggests a whopping gap of 17 per cent”.
Pathey further says that the Gujarat government has failed to spend the full amount it allocated for the budget for the “tribal welfare, development and social security. Thus, as against the allocation of Rs 2850.73 crore, the state government could spend Rs 2692.41 crore in 2013-14, which suggests that Rs 158.31 crore remained unspent on tribals.” The unspent amount comes to 5.65 per cent of the allocation. It adds, “Out of 47 different heads, for which tribal budget is allocated, 24 are such where expenditure fell short of allocation.”
The budget analysis suggests that only in three industry and infrastructure-related sectors the Gujarat government was able to not just spend enough amount but actually overspent, suggesting that funds to these may have been transferred from the social sector to please the corporates – energy and petrochemicals 176.29 per cent (the allocation was Rs 4996.1 crore), industry and petrochemicals 127.8 per cent (allocation was Rs 2455 crore), and transport 110.06 per cent (allocation was Rs 5006.7 crore). Pathey offers no comment on why this may have happened.

Comments

Avoidable Narmada floods: Modi birthday fete caused long wait for release of dam waters

Counterview Desk Top advocacy group, South Asia Network on Dams, Rivers and People (SANDRP), has accused the Sardar Sarovar dam operators for once again acting in an "unaccountable" manner, bringing "avoidable floods in downstream Gujarat." In a detailed analysis, SANDRP has said that the water level at the Golden Bridge in Bharuch approached the highest flood level on September 17, 2023, but these "could have been significantly lower and much less disastrous" both for the upstream and downstream areas of the dam, if the authorities had taken action earlier based on available actionable information.

Biden urged to warn Modi: US can declare India as worst religious freedom offender

By Our Representative During a Congressional Briefing held on Capitol Hill, Washington DC, Nadine Maenza, former Chair of the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has wondered why the Biden administration should raise issues of mass anti-minority mob violence -- particularly in Haryana and Manipur -- with Modi. Modi should be told that if such violence continues, the US will be “compelled by law” to designate India as one of the world’s worst offenders of religious freedom, she urged.

From 'Naatu-Naatu' to 'Nipah-Nipah': Dancing to the tune of western pipers?

By Dr Amitav Banerjee, MD* Some critics have commented that the ecstatic response of most Indians to the Oscar for the racy Indian song, “Naatu-Naatu” from the film, “RRR” reeks of sheer racism, insulting visuals and a colonial hangover. It was perhaps these ingredients that impressed the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, one critic says.

Why iconic Urdu book stall, publishing house Maktaba Jamia died an 'unnatural' death

By Firoz Bakht Ahmed* We have all grown through the fragrant flavours and flairs of our childhood, one of them being our childhood mother-tongue historic magazines like, “Thakurmar Jhuli” (Bengali), “Khilauna”, Payam-e-Taleem" (Urdu), “Hans” (Marathi), “Parag” (Hindi), “Chitralekha” (Gujarati), “Chandamama” (Telugu), etc. I “drank” Urdu while suckling his mother and learnt the language not from any madrasa, school or college but from these publications only — my treasure trove!

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Asset managers hold '2.8 times more equity' in fossil fuel cos than in green investments

By Deepanwita Gita Niyogi* The world’s largest asset managers are far off track to meet the 2050 net zero commitments , a new study released by InfluenceMap , a London-based think tank working on climate change and sustainability, says. Released on August 1, the Asset Managers and Climate Change 2023 report by FinanceMap, a work stream of InfluenceMap, finds that the world’s largest asset managers have not improved on their climate performance in the past two years.

Evading primary responsibility, ONGC decides to invest Rs 15,000 crore in sick subsidiary

By NS Venkataraman* It is reported that Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) will infuse about Rs 15,000 crore in ONGC Petro-additions Ltd (OPaL) as part of a financial restructuring exercise. ONGC currently holds 49.36 per cent stake in (OPaL), which operates a mega petrochemical plant at Dahej in Gujarat. GAIL (India) Ltd has 49.21 per cent interest and Gujarat State Petrochemical Corporation (GSPC) has the remaining 1.43 per cent.

Buddhist shrines were 'massively destroyed' by Brahmanical rulers: Historian DN Jha

Nalanda mahavihara By Our Representative Prominent historian DN Jha, an expert in India's ancient and medieval past, in his new book , "Against the Grain: Notes on Identity, Intolerance and History", in a sharp critique of "Hindutva ideologues", who look at the ancient period of Indian history as "a golden age marked by social harmony, devoid of any religious violence", has said, "Demolition and desecration of rival religious establishments, and the appropriation of their idols, was not uncommon in India before the advent of Islam".

Sales, profits of Indian firms 'deteriorate', yet no significant increase in cost pressures

By Our Representative The Indian Institute of Management-Ahmedabad's (IIM-A's) latest Business Inflation Expectations Survey (BIES), a monthly exercise, has said that while cost perceptions data does not indicate significant increase of cost pressures, sales and profits of the Indian firms have deteriorated.

Why Bangladesh is achieving 'new heights' amidst economic collapse of Pakistan

By Sufian Siddique* Pakistan's economy is on the brink of bankruptcy like Sri Lanka's. Pakistan's foreign exchange reserves have fallen below $3 billion. They have asked the IMF for a 'bailout loan' a long time ago, but the IMF is trying to impose strict conditions that Pakistan's current ruling coalition has no capacity to meet. Even China and Saudi Arabia, Pakistan's long-standing loyal friends, are now reluctant to shoulder Pakistan's burden.

Search This Blog