Sudesh Mahto, Hemant Soren and Arjun Munda at the Budget session in Ranchi on Monday. (Prashant Mitra)

Ranchi, Feb. 28: The state government today presented its third supplementary budget of Rs 1,515.88 crore, earmarking funds for sports, railway infrastructure, drinking water in rural areas and farmers who had availed of crop insurance schemes.

Fresh from the successful conduct of the 34th National Games, which concluded yesterday, the budget also included a Plan allocation of Rs 50 crore as a grant to form a corpus for the newly created Jharkhand Sports Authority.

The authority is to devise ways to effectively utilise the world class facilities of the Jaipal Singh Munda Mega Sports Complex.

The third supplementary budget for 2010-11, tabled in the state Assembly today by deputy chief minister and finance minister Hemant Soren, also earmarked grants to the tune of Rs 10 crore for premiums and other expenses for the state crop insurance fund under National Agriculture Insurance Scheme.

Lacks of farmers are yet to be paid benefits against their failed crops insured in the 2009 kharif season. While the government has started distributing benefits, the funds aren’t enough for all beneficiaries.

In a major boost to long pending railway projects in the state, the budget also allocated Rs 174 crore to the state transport department. The money would go as grant in aid to railways which is executing new projects including a Koderma-Hazaribagh-Ranchi, via Barkakana and Koderma-Giridih rail link.

The railway budget tabled by Mamata Banerjee last week, also earmarked funds for various states, including Jharkhand, for pending projects. Chief minister Arjun Munda said the government earmarked funds for crucial sectors.

The state government’s focus seems to be on drinking water supply schemes in rural areas for which over Rs 45 crore had been earmarked.

But, a majority of the budgetary allocations would go to meet expenses incurred under non-Plan head like salaries, pension and travel allowances.

So far, the state government does not have a satisfactory track record in utilisation of plan funds. Till February, less than 60 per cent of the Rs 9,590 crore Plan budget has been spent.