more-inSocial sector initiatives form the highlight of the State Budget with housing schemes for the differenty abled, women empowerment and Kudumbasree initiatives receiving a major thrust . There are no major announcements for the health sector. However, the Finance Minister T. M. Thomas Isaac said a Statewide e-network of ambulances which will evacuate accident or trauma victims from the site to emergency-care facilities, announced earlier, will be launched in 2018-19The allocation for public health has gone down from ₹2,500 crore in the 2017-18 budget to ₹1,685.70 crore this year. Community housing schemes were also being envisaged in urban areasSocial security pensionThe government is currently spending over ₹6,000 crore on social security pension schemes. Differently abledDr. Isaac has allocated ₹289 crore in the 2018-19 budget for some 44 schemes for the differently abled, being implemented through eight departments and 10 agencies.

Source: The Hindu February 02, 2018 12:22 UTC