Disorganized approach to policy, budget formulation in Andhra Pradesh, at least in handloom sector

By Umesh Babu and Antara Mukherjee*

Total Expenditure Budget of Andhra Pradesh has increased from Rs 1,56,999.40 crore in the year 2017-18 to Rs 1,91,063.61 crore; increase of Rs 34,064.21 crore (21.69%). It gives a better image and impression. To rely on the quality of budget formulation for policies implementation, we have taken the sample of Handloom Weavers, covered under the department “Handloom and Textiles”.
Total budget of Handloom and Textiles Department in the year 2018-19 is Rs 273.42 crore; an increase of Rs 42.18 crore over the budget Rs 231.25 crore of previous year 2017-18.

Important Observation of Schemes / Programs:

1. Indian Institute of Handloom Technology:

Salaries: Allocation in salary head for the institute has been reduced. In the year 2017-18 budget estimate was Rs 79.46 lakhs and in the year 2018-19 it is Rs 63.59 lakh. A decrease by Rs 15.87 lakh. It indicates that the institute might be gradually shut down.
A new scheme ‘Other Administrative Expenses’ has been launched for the year 2018- 19 with financial allocation of Rs 200 lakh. Total budget for the institute in the year 2017-18 was Rs 137.09 lakhs and in the years 2018-19 it is Rs 308.99 lakhs. If we separate the allocated fund for the new scheme and compare the figures of allocation for the year 2018-19, it comes out to be 108.99 lakhs. Which means in the existing programs of the state, there is a reduction of Rs 28.01 lakhs.

2. Interest Subsidy/Rebate Scheme: Budget for this scheme has been reduced from Rs 6.00 crore in the year 2017-18 to Rs 4.00 crore in the year 2018-19. It is important to note that the expenditure in the year 2016-17 was 4.64 crore, higher than the allocation of the current year.
3. Small Scale Industries (SI) clusters under the Package Scheme – Handlooms Cluster Development Programs: This scheme has been discontinued by the way of not allocating budget in two subsequent years i.e. 2017-18 and 2018-19. In the year 2016-17 expenditure under this scheme was Rs 25 crore.
4. Assistance for livelihood enhancement of weavers: Budget has been increased for this scheme under the head of “Other Grant-in- Aid” from Rs 23.42 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 200 crore in the year 2018-19, an increase by Rs 176.58 crore.
5. Assistance towards loan waiver to weavers: Allocation for this scheme is only Rs 1 lakh in both years 2017-18 and 2018-19.
6. Financial Assistance to Handloom and Textiles Promotion: Budget has been decreased from Rs 50 crore in year 2017-18 to Rs 25 crore in the year 2018-19. A decrease of Rs 25 crore.
7. Margin Money Assistance to APCO under NCDC Scheme: This scheme has been discontinued by way of not allocating budget in two subsequent years i.e. 2017-18 and 2018-19. In the year 2016-17 total expenditure was Rs 5 crore.
8. State share for Revival Reform and Restructuring package for Handloom Sector: Allocation for this scheme is only Rs 1 lakh in both years 2017-18 and 2018-19.
9. Cooperative Handloom Weavers Thrift Fund Scheme: Budget for the scheme is reduced from Rs 3.5 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 2.5 crore in the year 2018-19.
10. Subsidy on Purchase of Raw Material: Budget is increased from Rs 8 crore in 2017-18 to Rs 11 crore in the year 2018-19.
11. Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY): Budget is increased from Rs 6 crore in the year 2017-18 to Rs 15 crore in the year 2018-19. 12. Loan Assistance under NCDC Scheme: Budget is decreased from Rs 36.98 crore in the years 2017-18 to Rs 10.00 crore in the year 2018-19.

Remarks:

The overall scenario represents a disorganized approach in policy and budget formulation of the State, at least in handloom sector. The programs that have been working well have been abandoned by way of not allocating funds. Instead of correcting the lapses in existing programs formulation and implementation, new programs are launched to solve the problems. Practically, bureaucracy is not a complete mechanical instrument to adopt new program and in full swing and solve the existential problems of the weavers.
Politically, government can claim of increasing budget. Within these two propositions, chaos is created and public at large gets confused about who is wrong: politics, bureaucracy or the public. This state of confusion creates a situation for politicians to get away scot free and find several excuses for the persistent and consistent growth in poverty, suicides, debt trap, hunger death, etc. In one scheme there is an increase of Rs 176.58 crore and budget size becomes Rs 200 crore in the year 2018-19.
Total increase in departmental budget is Rs 42.18 crore. It means there are the several other smaller components where the budget is reduced and compromised with one scheme so that total budget of the department is in limit by a marginal increase of Rs 42.18 crore The schemes that have been reduced or brought to the point of closing down, will affect not only the weavers but also to State economy and bureaucratic infrastructure. Detailed enquiry of the budget and policies may give other sights or vision to get complete conclusion of the lapses in budget and policy formulation.
---
*Delhi Solidarity Group

Comments

A comrade in culture and controversy: Yao Wenyuan’s revolutionary legacy

By Harsh Thakor* This year marks two important anniversaries in Chinese revolutionary history—the 20th death anniversary of Yao Wenyuan, and the 50th anniversary of his seminal essay "On the Social Basis of the Lin Biao Anti-Party Clique". These milestones invite reflection on the man whose pen ignited the first sparks of the Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution and whose sharp ideological interventions left an indelible imprint on the political and cultural landscape of socialist China.

Two more "aadhaar-linked" Jharkhand deaths: 17 die of starvation since Sept 2017

Kaleshwar's sons Santosh and Mantosh Counterview Desk A fact-finding team of the Right to Feed Campaign, pointing towards the death of two more persons due to starvation in Jharkhand, has said that this has happened because of the absence of aadhaar, leading to “persistent lack of food at home and unavailability of any means of earning.” It has disputed the state government claims that these deaths are due to reasons other than starvation, adding, the authorities have “done nothing” to reduce the alarming state of food insecurity in the state.

Epic war against caste system is constitutional responsibility of elected government

Edited by well-known Gujarat Dalit rights leader Martin Macwan, the book, “Bhed-Bharat: An Account of Injustice and Atrocities on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-18)” (available in English and Gujarati*) is a selection of news articles on Dalits and Adivasis (2014-2018) published by Dalit Shakti Prakashan, Ahmedabad. Preface to the book, in which Macwan seeks to answer key questions on why the book is needed today: *** The thought of compiling a book on atrocities on Dalits and thus present an overall Indian picture had occurred to me a long time ago. Absence of such a comprehensive picture is a major reason for a weak social and political consciousness among Dalits as well as non-Dalits. But gradually the idea took a different form. I found that lay readers don’t understand numbers and don’t like to read well-researched articles. The best way to reach out to them was storytelling. As I started writing in Gujarati and sharing the idea of the book with my friends, it occurred to me that while...

New RTI draft rules inspired by citizen-unfriendly, overtly bureaucratic approach

By Venkatesh Nayak* The Department of Personnel and Training , Government of India has invited comments on a new set of Draft Rules (available in English only) to implement The Right to Information Act, 2005 . The RTI Rules were last amended in 2012 after a long period of consultation with various stakeholders. The Government’s move to put the draft RTI Rules out for people’s comments and suggestions for change is a welcome continuation of the tradition of public consultation. Positive aspects of the Draft RTI Rules While 60-65% of the Draft RTI Rules repeat the content of the 2012 RTI Rules, some new aspects deserve appreciation as they clarify the manner of implementation of key provisions of the RTI Act. These are: Provisions for dealing with non-compliance of the orders and directives of the Central Information Commission (CIC) by public authorities- this was missing in the 2012 RTI Rules. Non-compliance is increasingly becoming a major problem- two of my non-compliance cases are...

What's behind Donald Trump's 'narco-state' accusation against Venezuela

By Manolo De Los Santos The US government has revived its campaign to label Venezuela a "narco-state", accusing its top leadership of drug trafficking and slapping hefty bounties on their heads for capture. This campaign, which only momentarily took a backseat, is a strategic fabrication, not a factual assessment. This accusation, particularly amplified under the Trump Administration, is a calculated smokescreen to justify a long-standing agenda: the overthrow of the Venezuelan government and the seizure of its vast oil and mineral resources. A closer examination of the facts reveals a country that has actively fought drug trafficking on its own terms and a US government with a clear and consistent history of destabilizing independent countries in Latin America.

N-power plant at Mithi Virdi: CRZ nod is arbitrary, without jurisdiction

By Krishnakant* A case-appeal has been filed against the order of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC) and others granting CRZ clearance for establishment of intake and outfall facility for proposed 6000 MWe Nuclear Power Plant at Mithi Virdi, District Bhavnagar, Gujarat by Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) vide order in F 11-23 /2014-IA- III dated March 3, 2015. The case-appeal in the National Green Tribunal at Western Bench at Pune is filed by Shaktisinh Gohil, Sarpanch of Jasapara; Hajabhai Dihora of Mithi Virdi; Jagrutiben Gohil of Jasapara; Krishnakant and Rohit Prajapati activist of the Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti. The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has issued a notice to the MoEF&CC, Gujarat Pollution Control Board, Gujarat Coastal Zone Management Authority, Atomic Energy Regulatory Board and Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited (NPCIL) and case is kept for hearing on August 20, 2015. Appeal No. 23 of 2015 (WZ) is filed, a...

1857 War of Independence... when Hindu-Muslim separatism, hatred wasn't an issue

"The Sepoy Revolt at Meerut", Illustrated London News, 1857 By Shamsul Islam* Large sections of Hindus, Muslims and Sikhs unitedly challenged the greatest imperialist power, Britain, during India’s First War of Independence which began on May 10, 1857; the day being Sunday. This extraordinary unity, naturally, unnerved the firangees and made them realize that if their rule was to continue in India, it could happen only when Hindus and Muslims, the largest two religious communities were divided on communal lines.

Ground reality: Israel would a remain Jewish state, attempt to overthrow it will be futile

By NS Venkataraman* Now that truce has been arrived at between Israel and Hamas for a period of four days and with release of a few hostages from both sides, there is hope that truce would be further extended and the intensity of war would become significantly less. This likely “truce period” gives an opportunity for the sworn supporters and bitter opponents of Hamas as well as Israel and the observers around the world to introspect on the happenings and whether this war could have been avoided. There is prolonged debate for the last several decades as to whom the present region that has been provided to Jews after the World War II belong. View of some people is that Jews have been occupants earlier and therefore, the region should belong to Jews only. However, Christians and those belonging to Islam have also lived in this regions for long period. While Christians make no claim, the dispute is between Jews and those who claim themselves to be Palestinians. In any case...

Fate of Yamuna floodplain still hangs in "balance" despite National Green Tribunal rap on Sri Sri event

By Ashok Shrimali* While the National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Thursday reportedly pulled up the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) for granting permission to hold spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's World Culture Festival on the banks of Yamuna, the chief petitioners against the high-profile event Yamuna Jiye Abhiyan has declared, the “fate of the floodplain still hangs in balance.”

Counterview

Search This Blog