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Protests against raising the retirement age to 56 took away the sheen from what was an otherwise self-fulfilling State Budget rooted on basics.
Miniaturisation, clustering and decentralisation were the highlights with respect to initiatives proposed variously on the farm front to the shop floor.
HIGH-TECH FARMING
This, according to the Finance Minister, Mr K.M. Mani, was the most practicable way of going about it in a land-scarce and debt-stressed State.
This was evident in the way greenhouses, precision farming, air strips at every district headquarters, seaplanes and waste treatment at source were conceptualised in the Budget.
The State Government would promote high-tech farming, micro-irrigation, use of micro-nutrients and hybrid seeds.
This is expected to bring about a paradigm change in the way farming has been looked at and engaged with as also lift its sagging morale, Mr Mani said.
BIO-PARKS PROPSOED
Bio-parks will be set up to promote rice and coconut crops. Greenhouse-based farming will be popularised across the State.
Greenhouses could be set up at a cost Rs 4.5 lakh over 10 cents of land.
Almost 75 per cent of the amount will come in as State or Central subsidy.
Each panchayat will have three such greenhouses for which Rs 45 crore has been set apart, the Finance Minister said.
FUND FOR ASSEMBLY CONSTITUENCIES
He also announced an asset creation fund for Assembly constituencies in which each MLA will be entitled to take up works of up to Rs 5 crore every year.
This will go to ideally supplement capital investment projects being undertaken in the constituency.
The Budget has set apart Rs 705 crore to fund the proposal.
STUDY ON AIRPORTS
Feasibility studies would be taken up for setting up airports in the backward Idukki and Wayanad districts. .
The Budget has allocated Rs 50 crore for a proposed replacement dam for the aged one at Mullaperiyar.
SOLAR ENERGY INITIATIVE
A solar energy initiative, aiming to generate 1 KW from solar panels set up on roof-tops, will be implemented across 10,000 houses during the year.
INDUSTRIAL ZONE
A petrochemical industrial zone will be established in Kochi.
Kochi Metro Rail Project has been given Rs 150 crore.
Initial phase of the Thiruvananthapuram-Kasaragod high-speed rail project will get Rs 50 crore.
Monorail projects for Kozhikode and Thiruvananthapuram have been assigned Rs 20 crore each and the Vizhinjam international port Rs 224 crore.
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