PANAJI: Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who will present the annual budget in the state legislative assembly on March 24, is expected to focus on job creation, revenue generation and administrative reforms.
Highly reliable sources said that this year the budget would prioritise on generation of employment and revenue, administrative reforms and developmental projects factoring in ‘Goenkarponn’.
Parrikar has been working on the budget taking inputs from his coalition partners as well as other stakeholders.
Popular welfare schemes are unlikely to be announced this time, instead the annual financial statement would give stress on streamlining the ongoing schemes, the sources said.
The coalition partners in the Parrikar-led government had fought assembly elections against each others. But now they are allies in the government, and Parrikar will try to accommodate the concerns which had been highlighted by the allies and the Independent legislators in their election manifestos.
All political parties had acknowledged that unemployment has been a serious concern in the state, and had promised to address it on priority basis.
Undoubtedly the focus of the budget would be creation of jobs in various sectors, the sources said pointing out that since the state finances have been in bad shape the Finance Minister would emphasise on revenue generation and would spell out modalities to push up the revenue, which has been on the decline.
The implementation of goods and service tax bills will be another concern.
The budget may also have a thrust on industrial investment from private players to create employment opportunities to the youth, besides various incentives for new micro businesses.
There could be special focus on modernisation of old systems and changes in many outdated legislations.
The sources hinted that the budget would be more inclusive covering all sections of the society.
