Assam budget 'revenue neutral'; focus on jobs, women empowerment: Himanta

Guwahati, Jul 10 (PTI) Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday described the state budget as "revenue neutral", saying the state's revenue expenditure, capital expenditure and revenue receipts were balanced. Addressing a press conference after Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah presented his maiden budget in the Assembly, Sarma said the fiscal plan reflected the BJP's 'Sankalp Patra' commitments, with a focus on employment, women's welfare, power, connectivity and agriculture. "It is a revenue-neutral budget. It means salary, interest, pension, and committed liabilities, which form revenue expenditure, and revenue earnings are balanced," he said. The chief minister highlighted that in 2015-16, capital expenditure was Rs 2,951 crore, which has increased to Rs 29,000 crore this time. On the tax front, he said, "Barring the green cess, it is a tax-neutral budget. It is in sync with the state's financial health." Green cess has been proposed to discourage industries from continuing pollution-causing actions and encourage sustainable practices, Sarma said. Highlighting various budgetary proposals, the chief minister said Rs 6,000 crore has been earmarked to implement flagship welfare schemes such as Orunodoi and Nijut Moina. He added that implementation of all welfare schemes will resume from August after being stalled due to the process of formation of the new government. He further said the state government was working with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to develop a Rs 1,200-crore semiconductor ecosystem, so that local MSMEs can produce items to meet requirements of such industries. On the technology front, Sarma said an AI module will be introduced in state government offices in a phased manner, with four to five departments set to implement it soon. Asserting his government's tough stand against criminals and polygamy, the chief minister warned that "government employees will lose their jobs for polygamy, and those with criminal antecedents won't get benefits of any schemes." He said the government will keep its promise of providing two lakh jobs, and for the purpose, not only vacancies will be filled, but new positions will also be created. “Under the chief secretary, a task force has been formed. So far, 1.15 lakh posts have been identified, but we want to take it to 2 lakh. For that, posts will be created in revenue-earning departments like health and education," Sarma said. The CM said transportation has been a thrust area in the budget, with Rs 10,000 crore proposed under Asom Mala 4.0 for constructing 800 km of new roads in the next five years. He said a proposal for a rail link to Umrangso in Dima Hasao district has been made in the budget. Airways have also been given importance with plans for development of Dulu and Rupsi airports in Cachar and Dhubri districts as world-class ones, as it will boost the state’s passenger and cargo traffic with neighbouring states as well as other countries, Sarma said. The power sector will witness investment of Rs 77,000 crore through various projects, including in public-private-partnership mode, with work in many schemes already underway, the CM said. He also highlighted the Guwahati satellite city, to be constructed around the airport, as a key proposal in the budget, which will have the scope of transforming the economy of the state. Sarma said the agriculture and water resources departments were jointly preparing a strategy for the sectors, and compressed pipe systems would henceforth be used for irrigation along with the existing canal network. "We intend to make available water through the compressed pipes from the sources where it is available round the year to our fields," he said. The chief minister also said the budget envisaged producing 2,300 doctors annually by 2030, which would help the state avoid a shortage of physicians and enable deployment of doctors at health sub-centres. In the education sector, the government has plans to develop two "growth centres" where medical college, engineering college, university and such institutions are housed together in a single premise, he added. He further said Mission Basundhara 4.0 will be rolled out on December 25, with consultations with stakeholders to be held for two months leading up to it. "Without imposing any new tax, this budget is to transform Assam into a high-growth state in the next five years. Our next step is to implement it in totality," Sarma added. Baruah on Friday presented a Rs 2,85,084 crore budget for the 2026-27 financial year, proposing to raise the tax exemption limit for small tea growers by four times and cut VAT on piped natural gas by almost 10 percentage points. He also announced continuance of all major schemes rolled out during the last five years, while stating that he aims to cut the Budget deficit to Rs 419 crore. PTI SSG NSD SSG MNB