Jaitley mum on smart city project

Rajinder Nagarkoti
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, February 28
Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has increased the UT Administration’s share in the Budget for 2015-16 by 8.13 per cent. A hike of Rs 288.22 crore has been given in the next fiscal as compared to the Budget for 2014-15. However, the Budget is silent on the smart city project and no special allocation has been made for it.
In the current fiscal, the Union Government had allocated Rs 3,543.25 crore to the UT while for the next fiscal, it has been allotted Rs 3,831.47 crore.
Under the Plan head, a hike of 5.78 per cent has been given. Against the allocation of Rs 813 crore for the current fiscal, the Union Government has allotted Rs 860 crore. It is Rs 47 crore more than the current fiscal.
The allocation under the Plan head will go towards carrying out development works in the city. The UT Administration will spend money from this head to improve the infrastructure in the city, construction and maintenance of roads and buildings, purchase of power and construction of underpasses.
  Under the non-Plan head, against the allocation of Rs 2,730.25 crore for the current financial year, the Union Government has increased it to Rs 2,971.47 crore, an increase of Rs 241.22 crore.
The non-Plan allocation will go towards the committed expenditure on salaries and other recurring expenses borne by the Administration.
The major share of the UT Budget will go towards education (20 per cent), health (22 per cent), urban development (19 per cent), transport (12 per cent), housing (5 per cent), and social security, social welfare and empowerment of women (3 per cent).
UT Finance Secretary Saravjit Singh said efforts would be made to upgrade the city by providing better infrastructure, implementation of IT services and ensuring a responsive governance system. 

What UT has got

• Rs  50 crore has been provided under the transport sector for the purchase of 280 buses.
• An extra amount of Rs20 crore has been kept for colleges for construction of hostels, mainly for girls.
• Rs 50 crore for finishing work of Block E of the GMCH, Sector 32, and to carry forward the construction work of the Mental Health Institute.
• Rs 5 crore for the Social Welfare Department for upgrade of buildings.
• Rs 10 crore for the sports complex at Mani Majra.
• Funds have also been allocated for the restoration of some iconic buildings and possibly for starting work on the new secretariat building on a plot adjoining the Police Headquarters.                                              
• Rs 11.25 crore for the augmentation of the water supply system in the city.

Less than what UT had demanded
Though the Union Government has increased the UT’s Budget allocation for the next fiscal as compared to the current fiscal, it is less than what the UT had demanded. The Administration had sought Rs4,229 crore while the Centre allocated Rs3,831.47 crore only. For the non-Plan Budget, the Administration had sought Rs3,300 crore, while a Budget of Rs929 crore had been demanded under the Plan head. Recently, the Central Government, after revising the Budget calculations, had cut the UT’s share by Rs200 crore.