Kerala Budget 2021: FM’s Budget caters to welfare of all sectors in the state

The final budget of the LDFgovernment before the Assembly polls happening this year, was like a welfare balm to all sectors. The Kerala Budget 2021 which was presented on Friday, was notable for its announcement that catered to all sections residing in the state.

Continuing with the welfare agenda, Kerala’s finance minister Thomas Issac’s budget focussed on raising welfare pensions and the promise of generating nearly eight lakh opportunities in various sectors.

The finance minister also created a record by presenting one of the longest budget presentations ever, which lasted for over three hours.

Here are the key highlights of Kerala Budget 2021:

• 4,000 posts will be created in the health sector

• Welfare pension raised to Rs 1,600. It will come into effect from April

• 8 lakh job opportunities to be created ahead of the upcoming fiscal year

• Additional allocation of Rs 1,000 crore for local bodies

• Procurement price of agricultural produce raised. Rs 170 for rubber; Rs 28 for paddy and
Rs 32 for coconut

• Rs 15,000 crore to be spent from KIIFB to complete major works in 2021-22

• Rs 20 crore to create workstation facilities for work near home initiatives

• Rs 20 lakh people to be given jobs through digital platforms

• Kerala Development and Innovation Strategic Council (K-DISC) to utilise digital platform
to provide jobs

• A skill mission to be set up to provide skills to 50 lakh youths

• Rs 20 crore to work near home project

• KFON project, which aims to make internet service affordable, will roll out in February
and become operational by July

• State to invest Rs 166 crore for KFON project

• No monopoly allowed in the internet highway in state

• K-Fon project to be rolled out in February

• Laptops to be provided to poor families at half the price

• 30 centres of excellence to be set up within universities

• Rs 2,000 crore for infrastructure development of universities

• 886 vacant university teaching posts to be filled soon; 150 additional teaching posts to
be created

• 500 postdoctoral fellowships to be instituted

• 500 postdoctoral fellowships instituted to attract bright minds

• Classes in colleges affiliated with universities to be digitised

• Rs 40 crore allocated to Kerala Innovation Challenge for expansion to 20 categories

• Mentoring platform for start-ups to be set up

• A pharma park will be set up for bulk production of drugs

• Work on three industrial corridors to begin this year

• Rs 10 crore for heritage tourism in Thiruvananthapuram; Rs 7 crore for Kochi Biennale
• Champions Boat League to resume this year

• Rs 100 crore for various rehabilitation activities of Non-Resident Keralites

• Pension hiked to Rs 3,500 for expats and Rs 3,000 for NRKs who returned

• 75 days of minimum work guaranteed under MNREGS

• Five lakh new jobs in agricultural as well as non-agricultural sector

• Those who work for a minimum of 20 days to receive Welfare Fund Board benefits

• 40,000 SC families and 12,000 ST families to be given homes under Life Mission

• Blue, white ration cardholders to get 10 kg rice at Rs 15 per kg

• Medicines to be delivered at doorstep for senior citizens

• No treasury curbs for local self-government in 2021-22

• School counsellors’ honorarium raised to Rs 24,000

• Allowance of noon meal cooks in schools raised by Rs 50

• Allowance for ASHA workers raised by Rs 1,000

• Free treatment for accident victims for the first 48 hours

• KFC to provide loans at 7 per cent to buy e-vehicles

• KSEB to set up 236 new e-vehicle charging stations in 2021-22

• KIIFB to allocate Rs 300 crore for Wayanad Medical College

• Land acquisition for Silverline project to begin in 2021-22