PUDUCHERRY: The Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) of the Union Territory, which is one of the major indicators for determining the health of the economy of the Union territory has been estimated at Rs 14,862 crore for 2011-12, said Lieutenant Governor (LG) Iqbal Singh.The LG was delivering his address on the opening day of the budget session of the UT Assembly.He said the government would focus on sectoral development by giving thrust to infrastructure through the utilisation of the plan allocation of Rs 2,750 crore.He also placed on record an additional Central assistance of about Rs 150 crore provided to Puducherry during 2011-12 and thanked the Union government for it.Through the government’s efforts, it has succeeded in increasing its resource mobilisation by Rs 307 crore during 2010-11, said Lieutenant Governor (LG) Iqbal Singh, delivering his address on the opening day of the budget session of the UT Assembly. He said that the Value Added Tax (VAT) had shown signs of buoyancy. The simplification, rationalisation and introduction of online service to the business community, e-governance initiatives and low tax rates had contributed to the significant increase in revenue, he added.Since the contribution of the secondary sector to the SGDP was 41.29 per cent, adequate attention would be given to industries, Singh said. The government has proposed to bring more investment through Public Private Partnership(PPP) mode, to make Puducherry an industrial hub. Puducherry needs to focus on developing software parks besides maintaining its leading position in hardware. It would create more employment opportunities for those passing out of colleges, technical institutions and universities.To achieve the maximum potential of local tourism, a comprehensive master plan for the next five years would be prepared, Singh said. Steps would be taken to operate passenger flight services from Puducherry during the current financial year. The airport runway has been expanded to handle ATR 72 type of aircraft. The tourist inflow has increased from five lakh to 10 lakh in the last decade, he said. The government will ensure quality power along with uninterrupted supply. The capacity of 34 distribution transformers have been enhanced and several HT and LT lines have been strengthened.On the education front, approval has been given to start a number of higher educational institutions under the private sector apart from government colleges to fulfil educational needs, Iqbal Singh said. The Union territory has initiated steps to constitute a Right to Education Protection Authority. A proposal seeking Rs 12.3 crore to establish a women’s polytechnic at Karaikal was submitted to Ministry of Human Resource Development, he said. On the health front, Puducherry has the lowest maternal mortality rate of 36 compared to the national average of less than 100 per lakh live births. An exclusive Infertility Clinic and Genetic Counselling Clinic had been recently started at the maternity hospital here.New initiatives have been proposed under precision farming to promote marketing and synergy between the farmers of Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. A tie-up with Mega Market in Dharmapuri district and Safal Market in Bengaluru have also been planned.For infrastructure development, a Rs 239.07 crore sanction from NABARD has been obtained for 172 projects in all four regions, the LG said.To revamp the quality of life of scheduled caste colonies, the government will be reconstructing 2,161 houses in 37 locations at Puducherry and Karaikal. As many as 1,660 new dwelling units in 17 predominantly SC localities (Census designated places) and 1,340 houses with HUDC assistance in non-CDP areas will be constructed.A separate department for the development of Minorities and Backward classes has been proposed. A grant for the welfare of children, the elderly, destitute women and other vulnerable persons in residential homes run by NGOs has also been proposed.The centrally sponsored Integrated Child Protection scheme will be jointly implemented at a cost of Rs 1.07 crore and Rs 1.27 crore borne by the Central government and Puducherry government, respectively.Three more Juvenile Justice Boards will be constituted for Karaikal, Mahe and Yanam regions in the current financial year as well as three more child welfare committees for the three regions.
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