Assam govt to create 2 lakh jobs in 5 years: Finance minister

Guwahati, Jul 10 (PTI) The Assam government on Friday announced that a total of two lakh people will be recruited over the next five years by filling existing vacancies and creating new posts in various departments. Presenting the state Budget for the 2026-27 fiscal, Assam Finance Minister Jayanta Malla Baruah said 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 different government departments, universities, medical colleges, statutory bodies, societies, Sixth Schedule councils and companies with substantial state government shareholding, the finance minister said. "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 further 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. Baruah presented a Rs 2,85,084 crore Budget for the 2026-27 financial year, and proposed 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 to continue all the major schemes rolled out during the last five years, while aiming to cut Budget deficit to Rs 419 crore. PTI TR TR ACD