Assam govt tables Rs 2.85 cr budget for FY'27, provides tax sops to small tea growers

Guwahati, Jul 10 (PTI) The Assam government on Friday presented a Rs 2,85,084 crore budget for the 2026-27 financial year, proposing to raise tax exemption limit for small tea growers by four times and cut VAT on piped natural gas by almost 10 percentage points. Presenting his maiden Budget, Assam Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah also announced the continuance of all the major schemes rolled out during the last five years, but said those practising polygamy will not be eligible for any benefits and government staff found guilty of this practice will face dismissal. Proposing a 'green cess' on polluting sectors, the government announced that two lakh people will be recruited over five years by filling existing vacancies and creating new posts across various departments. With a deficit of Rs 419.26 crore, Baruah tabled a Rs 2,85,084.45 crore budget and aimed a fiscal deficit of 3 per cent of the state's projected GSDP. "To provide relief to small tea growers, I propose to enhance the agricultural income tax exemption threshold from Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh of annual agricultural income," he added. At the same time, the tax will be restored for larger assessees with effect from April 1, 2026, and the additional revenue generated shall be dedicated exclusively to the welfare of tea garden communities, Baruah said. He said orthodox tea production has increased from 4.39 crore kg in 2021-22 to nearly 8 crore kg in 2025-26, recording a strong growth of over 80 per cent in four years. "Assam has taken a significant step towards value addition in the tea sector with the successful production of premium Matcha tea. The first lot was sold through the Guwahati Tea Auction Centre at nearly Rs 3,000 per kg," the minister said. To further incentivise value addition and boost Assam Tea exports, Matcha tea shall be included within the eligible category of orthodox and specialty tea, he added. "The production subsidy for orthodox and specialty tea will be enhanced from Rs 10 per kg to Rs 15 per kg," he added. "Further, a new subsidy of Rs 3 per kg will be introduced for export-oriented and premium-quality Assam CTC tea that is exported directly through recognised export channels, contributing to the foreign exchange earnings," Baruah said. According to the budget document, the government is committed to expand clean and affordable energy across Assam, as piped natural gas networks are being developed in key areas like Guwahati, Dibrugarh, Jorhat, Tezpur, Darrang, Baksa, Kokrajhar, Nagaon and the Barak Valley. "To reduce household energy costs, promote cleaner fuel and support city gas expansion, I propose to reduce VAT on piped natural gas from 14.5 per cent to 5 per cent," it added. Over 13,500 domestic piped gas connections have already been provided, along with 46 CNG stations across the state, the Budget mentioned. During his budget speech, Baruah said welfare measures should not only reach the deserving but also enforce "inclusivity, integrity and moral ethos" in society. "To promote women's empowerment and gender justice, any male practising polygamy shall not be eligible to avail benefits under any government welfare scheme," he added. The budget proposed amending the Assam Services (Discipline and Appeal) Rules, 1964, to dismiss from service any government servant practised polygamy. "To promote integrity and responsible citizenship, I propose that any person convicted of an offence under any criminal law shall not be eligible to avail benefits under notified government welfare schemes," Baruah said. Since a regular budget was not available during the election held earlier this year, the government shall resume the basket of welfare schemes from August onwards, he added. "The august House will appreciate the introduction of unprecedented basket of welfare schemes by our government covering various levels of beneficiaries. I propose to allocate over Rs 6,000 crore under different grants for these welfare schemes," he said. Talking about poluting sectors, the finance minister said guided by the principle that those who contribute to environmental degradation should also contribute towards its mitigation, the government will introduce a 'Green Cess' on identified polluting activities and assets. The 'Green Cess' will be levied on stone crushers, coke-based industries, brick kilns, transfer of second-hand vehicles, commercial extraction of groundwater, and other environmentally sensitive industries and activities as may be notified by the government. The budget, however, did not mention how much tax will be levied as 'Green Cess'. "The proceeds from this cess will be utilised for afforestation, pollution control, biodiversity conservation, climate adaptation, green energy, water resource management and other environmentally sustainable infrastructure," he said. Baruah said that the government had provided over 1.64 lakh appointments in the last five years. "Building on this achievement, we are now entering the next phase of employment generation. Over the next five years, the government will target 2 lakh employment opportunities across the broader public sector ecosystem of the state," he added. These new recruitments will take place in government departments, universities, medical colleges, statutory bodies, societies, Sixth Schedule councils and companies with substantial state government shareholding. "A dedicated task force under the chairmanship of the chief secretary has already been constituted to prepare a comprehensive roadmap. This will also help in timely promotions of existing employees as part of the process to create more vacancies at the base level," he added. Baruah said the government will examine the creation of new posts in the police force, educational institutes, healthcare institutions, forest and other departments. "We are determined to create employment opportunities for our younger generation during the tenure of this government as per the promises made in the 'Sankalp Patra' (BJP manifesto)," he added. PTI TR NN