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Cumulative deficit in the 2013-14 State budget will balloon to Rs 825.34 crore after Finance Minister K.M. Mani announced fresh sops in the State Assembly on Wednesday.
New allocations of Rs 298.77 crore were announced during debate on the budget.
MAJOR GAINER
Mostly in the nature of non-productive expenditure, the give-aways benefited various schemes, groups and institutions. Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) was a major gainer with Rs 100 crore.
Rest of the allocations announced on Wednesday were as follows: Rs 50 crore in debt relief to fishermen; Rs 25 crore for supply of free medicines; Rs10 crore for the Attukal township in Thiruvananthapuram; Rs 5 crore each for the ‘zero landless project’ and Consumerfed. Rs 4.5 crore for marine safety; Rs 25 lakh for Rajiv Gandhi Aviation Academy building; and Rs 25 lakh for an elephant wellness centre at Paravoor.
KASARAGOD PACKAGE
The backward district of Kasaragod has been granted an additional Rs 15 crore for all-round development and in support of social welfare measures recommended by the Prabhakaran Committee.
This is in addition to Rs 15 crore provided for in the budget, the Finance Minister clarified.
Similarly, the Western Ghats Climate Change Research Institute in Kottayam will get an additional allocation of Rs 5 crore.
Additional allocations would also be made for a health Insurance scheme for journalists (Rs 60 lakh); anti-liquor campaign (Rs 75 lakh); and a memorial for litterateur Sukumar Azhikode (Rs10 lakh).
VARIED ALLOCATIONS
The Finance Minister also announced allocations for Unnayi Warrier Memorial (Rs 50 lakh); G. Sankara Kurup Memorial; Changampuzha Memorial (Rs 30 lakh each); Palakkad Mani Iyer Temple Arts Museum (Rs 5 lakh), and Muloor Cultural Committee (Rs.2 lakh).
A sum of Rs 3 crore will be provided for a national museum of dance at Guru Gopinath Dance Village as a share of the State Government.
An assistance of Rs 15 lakh would be provided for conducting an international folk arts festival in Kerala. The grant to Moinkutty Vaidyar Mappila Kala Academy will be raised to Rs 50 lakh.
A sum of Rs 20 lakh will be granted for setting up a statue of poet Kunhikuttan Thampuran at Kodungallur.
> vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in
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