The state’s economy is projected to grow at the rate of nine per cent during the 12th Plan (2012-17). keeping in sync with the government’s endeavour to achieve a sustainable and inclusive higher economic growth.
“The state’s 12th Five Year Plan envisages an average annual growth rate of nine per cent with a projected outlay of Rs 1.24 lakh crore. Sustained efforts have been made by the state government to allocate increasingly higher resources for planned development of the state,” Odisha Governor M C Bhandare said in his customary address to the assembly on the maiden day of the Budget session.
Highlighting the achievements of the state government on key economic parameters, he said, “An average real annual growth rate of 8.23 per cent has been achieved during the 11th Plan at 2004-05 prices. The real per capita income in Odisha at 2004-05 prices has increased from Rs 14,862 in 1999-2000 to Rs 26,900 in 2011-12. Poverty in Odisha has declined from 57.2 per cent in 2004-05 to 37 per cent in 2009-10.”
Besides this capital investment has gone up from Rs 1,038.06 crore in 2005-06 to Rs 4,496.09 crore in 2011-12. This substantial increase in capital outlay has been possible because of generation of surpluses on the revenue account and full utilization of he borrowed fund for capital asset creation. Similarly, the annual plan size of the state has increased from Rs 3,500 crore in 2006-07 to Rs 17,250 crore in 2012-13, he said.
On initiatives taken in irrigation sector, he said, “My government has been successful in providing irrigation facilities to more than 50 per cent of the cultivable land in order to boost agricultural production in the state. Out of total cultivable land of 6.61 million hectares, irrigation potential in 3.08 million hectares has been created by the end of 2011-12.”
Referring to the Mahatma Gandhi National Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), Bhandare said, “All the 30 districts of the state are now covered under MGNREGA and during this financial year up to December 2012, a sum of Rs 618.57 crore has been utilised, generating 3.13 million man days.”
To promote industries in plastic and polymer sector, he said, a plastic park is proposed to be developed in PCPIR (Petroleum, Chemicals & Petrochemicals Investment Region) complex at Paradip under the plastic park scheme of the Government of India.
“My government has decided to develop Angul-Chhendipada rail corridor with an investment of Rs 6,000 crore with infrastructure such as railway tracks, four lane roads and water supply to facilitate the coal blocks to evacuate coal to the tune of 187 million tonne per annum,” he added.
Bhandare also touched upon on some of the flagship programmes of the state government like Biju Gram Jyoti, Biju Saharanchal Vidyutikaran Yojana, Mamata scheme pregnant women and Biju KBK (Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput) Plan.
