It's worst-affected departments as a result of the state govt’s development freeze
It has almost been eight months into the 2014-15 fiscal but the plan utilisation of the animal husbandry department is a paltry 24 percent. Of the Rs 365.16 crore set apart for the department this fiscal, only Rs 87 crore has been spent. (Photo: AFP
Thiruvananthapuram: The animal husbandry department, which is now grappling with the sudden outbreak of bird flu, is one of the worst-affected departments as a result of the state government’s development freeze. Higher education is the other sector that has suffered heavily as a consequence of the state’s dramatic fall in revenue this fiscal.
It has almost been eight months into the 2014-15 fiscal but the plan utilisation of the animal husbandry department is a paltry 24 percent. Of the Rs 365.16 crore set apart for the department this fiscal, only Rs 87 crore has been spent.
Strengthening of veterinary services, a major demand raised by farmers affected by the bird flu, was one of the major plan components of animal husbandry this fiscal. Though Rs 13 crore has been earmarked for the purpose, official sources said that only less than Rs 2 crore had been utilised.
The centrally-sponsored scheme for strengthening poultry and duck-breeding farms, for which Rs 20 crore has been kept apart, is said to have witnessed virtually zero spending.
“They will amp up spending towards the end of the fiscal but this will be of no help to poultry farmers,” Mr Janardhanan Nair, a former extension officer in the animal husbandry department, said.
Higher education had fared even worse. The spending towards the fag end of November is a measly 12 percent. Of the Rs 528 crore set apart for the sector, only '68 crore had been utilised. This fiscal there was a substantial increase in the outlay for general, higher and technical education.
Setting up of infrastructure facilities in sports schools, new autonomous colleges and deemed universities in the public sector, additional skill acquisition programme (ASAP), arts, sports, work education and school (ASWAS), establishment of production and training centre in polytechnic colleges, technology business incubation centre in polytechnic and engineering colleges are some of the new initiatives in this sector. “Fund crunch has seriously affected the implementation of most of these projects,” a senior Planning Board official said.
( Source : dc )
Next Story
