Bhubaneswar: Finance Minister Niranjan Pujari Friday presented the first Special Supplementary Statement of Expenditure for 2019-20 in the Assembly for recoupment of advance from the Odisha Contingency Fund (OCF).
The minister said the special supplementary budget is required as advance of Rs 1443.1244 crore sanctioned from the OCF at the end of 2018-19, remained un-recouped as of now.
He said while the revenue and disaster management department had received Rs 6.3280 crore for payment of ex- gratia and compensation to some victims as per Supreme Court order, the department of agriculture and farmers empowerment took Rs 1244.66 crore for making financial assistance to beneficiaries of KALIA scheme.
Similarly, the fisheries and animal resources department received Rs 22.73 crore for livelihood and input support to dairy, fish and poultry farmers and social security and empowerment of persons with disability got Rs 169.4064 crore for pension under social security schemes, he said.
"The Special Supplementary Statement of Expenditure is presented under provision of Odisha Contingency Rules, 1967 and Odisha Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management Act, 2005 for recoupment of advance of Rs 1443.1244 crore," the minister said.
The corpus of OCF was initially Rs 400 crore and enhanced by another Rs 1200 crore to Rs 1600 crore through Odisha Contingency Fund (Amendment) Ordinance on January 11, 2019, to meet the requirement of expenditure for KALIA scheme, he said.
Subsequently after expiration of six weeks from the reassembly of the Legislature, the Ordinance had lapsed on March 18, 2019. The corpus of the OCF is now reduced to Rs 400 crore.
"Now, unless the advanced sanctioned from OCF is recouped early, no money can be sanctioned from the OCF even if it is an emergent nature of expenditure as the entire corpus has been exhausted. Accordingly, it was felt necessary to present the Special Statement of Expenditure, 2019-20 for recoupment of advance of Rs 1443.1244 crore," the minister said.