Highlights of Kerala Budget 2017

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:
Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Isaac presents state Budget 2017. Here are the highlights from his Budget speech.
* Kerala Budget 2017 promises free Internet for 20 lakh poor families
* Isaac attacks Sangh Parivar, quotes MT Vasudevan Nair in Budget speech
* Sops for differently-abled citizens announced
* Demonetisation will cause economic slump, says Isaac in Budget speech.
* Finance minister quotes statements and stories of writer MT Vasudevan Nair, who faced criticism of Sangh Parivar during demonetisation.Budget promises Rs 25,000 crore worth infrastructure projects in 2017-18
* Finance minister praises Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Board
* Government will spend Rs 150 crore on water conservation projects, says Isaac. Waterbody revival will be taken up NREGA.
* Free treatment for life style diseases. Primary health sector to get Rs 2,000 crore. These health centres will provide free diabetes, cholesterol drugs.
Budget makes provisions for creation of over more than 5,000 medical posts, including doctors.
* Rs 10 crore allocated for sewage maintenance. Efforts will be on to bring an end for manual scavenging.
* Budget promises creation of 2,500 new posts of teachers in the state. State schools to get 45,000 more smart classrooms.
* Rs 100 crore allocated for Smart City mission. Thiruvananthapuram likely to be included.
Government to set up autism parks in all districts of the state.
* Budget allocates Rs 1,621 crore for child welfare.
* Finance minister announces Rs 10 crore for endosulfan victims.
* Rs 350 crore under Karuna scheme allocated by the minister.
* Over one lakh homeless people to get houses under budgetary provisions.
* Rs 128 crore allocated for coir industry. Rs 50 crore will be spent under coir workers’welfare scheme.
* Government will spend Rs 39 crore for development of ports.
* Rs 45 crore allocation for coconut farming, Rs 10 crore for pepper and cardamom. Special project for rice cultivation in Kuttanad and Palakkad.
* Kerala Budget 2017 make provisions for free internet for 20 lakh economically-backward families.
* Rs 270 crore allocated for rejuvenation of public sector units in the state Budget allocates Rs 549 crore for IT sector. Rs 100 crore allocated for IT mission.
* More than 1 lakh jobs to be created via Infopark by 2020.
* Rs 968 crore allocated for state’s hydel power projects.
* State universities to get Rs 381 crore and also a non-plan fund of Rs 1,200 crore.
* Rs 25 crore allocated for Sabarimala master plan.
* For the revival of KSRTC, Rs 3,000 crore package announced by the minister
* 10,000 young artists to be given Rs 10,000 per month each in the state.
* Rs 863 crore allocated for school education.
* Rs 1,260 crore set aside for women developmen
t in the Kerala Budget 2017. Women development corporation to get Rs 8 crore. Gender Parks allotted Rs 10 crore.
* Rs 68 crore announced for women protection. Gender budgeting to be revised.