The State Plan budget utilization up to October has registred around 46 per cent of the budget provision which is an increase by 18.37 per cent compared to the utilization during 2015-16.

While reviewing the plan expenditure, chief secretary A P Padhi today directed department secretaries to put more public services online and develop mobile apps for public services notified under Odisha Right to Public Services Act so that citizens can easily apply from their own mobiles.

Padhi also advised the secretaries to finalize the facilitating and regulating policies that are under preparation within November 17.

The state government has put several investment attracting policies on table during last couple of months. Some of these policies include pharmaceutical investment policy, health sector investment policy, solar policy, bio-tech policy among others.

Around Rs 20,872 crore has been utilized under state plan up to October which is around 46 per cent of the total budget estimate, an official release said, adding that the utilization in agriculture and allied sectors has been around 49 per cent of the budget estimate which is Rs 5,393 crore in real terms.

The expenditure in agriculture and allied sector has increased by 5 per cent over the expenditure of last fiscal during the same period.

Similarly, the infrastructure spending has also gone up to around 56 per cent of the budget estimate marking a growth of around 2 per cent over the last year.

The utilization in this sector has been to the tune of Rs 6,043 crore in real terms up to October. Social sector spending has also touched Rs 8,373 crore marking an increase of around 4 per cent over the last year.

The total revenue collection up to October has been around Rs 15,153 crore. Padhi asked the revenue generating departments to scale up revenue collection to meet higher expenditure in infrastructure and agriculture sectors.