The budget estimates of the Wayanad district panchayat for the 2022-23 fiscal has given priority to agriculture and education.
The budget, presented by district panchayat vice president S. Bindu on Saturday, shows a revenue of ₹76.83 crore, expenditure of ₹76.32 crore, and a surplus of ₹50.91 lakh.
Addressing the media after the budget presentation, district panchayat president Samshad Marakkar said various comprehensive projects had been included in the budget, and they included initiatives for promoting education and health care and those for the welfare of tribespeople.
A sum of ₹4.25 crore has been earmarked for the comprehensive development of the agriculture sector, ₹3.5 crore has been allocated for rejuvenating paddy cultivation and providing subsidy to farmers. A sum of ₹50 lakh has been earmarked for purchasing combined harvesters and ₹26 lakh for setting up a soil testing laboratory.
The budget allocated ₹2.5 crore for the dairy sector, while ₹50 lakh was earmarked for the renovation of the district veterinary hospital.
The budget set apart ₹4.85 crore for the education sector. It includes ₹1 crore for setting up asbestos-free school buildings, ₹50 lakh for setting up model smart classrooms in select schools, ₹50 lakh for constructing girls’ restrooms at higher secondary schools, ₹25 lakh for establishing modern laboratories, and ₹50 lakh for the construction of e-libraries and ₹20 lakh for ‘kitchen garden’, a project to attain self-sufficiency in production of vegetables for breakfast and lunch provided at schools.
The budget announced an innovative project titled ‘Visit Wayanad’ to tap the tourism potential of the district. A sum of ₹1 core was allocated for the project.
A sum of ₹1 crore was earmarked for setting up study rooms in Scheduled Tribe and Scheduled Cast hamlets, while ₹1 crore was allocated for the welfare of the differently abled, ₹45 lakh for women’s welfare, and ₹20 lakh for senior citizens.
The budget earmarked ₹1.85 crore for the health sector and ₹1 crore for the construction of an open stadium and indoor stadiums in grama panchayats in the district.
