News Analysis India

Tag: Assam budget

  • AIUDF MLA’s controversial remark on Assam budget triggers row

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The Assam assembly on Monday witnessed noisy scenes over a comment on the state budget by Opposition AIUDF member Aminul Islam, which was later expunged from the records.

    Islam’s controversial remark was made on an agricultural project in Darrang district, which was mentioned in the budget tabled in the assembly last week.

    Finance Minister Ajanta Neog had said in the budget speech that under the project, the government has removed encroachers from 77,420 bighas of land in Garukhuti area and indigenous youths living in that area will start agricultural work and rear animals there.

    An amount of Rs 9.60 crore has been proposed in the budget for this scheme.

    After the AIUDF MLA made the comment during his speech, Neog and several other BJP members stood up and objected to it.

    The finance minister urged Deputy Speaker Numal Momin who was on the chair to expunge from records a particular word Islam used in his comment.

    Ordering that the word be removed from records, Momin asked Islam to use restrain while making speeches.

    “You are a good orator. Try to avoid contentious issues,” the Deputy Speaker said, addressing Islam.

    As the discussion proceeded, Islam claimed that the use of words in the budget speech led to some apprehension and he had aired that.

    “It has been said in the budget speech that eviction will be done and indigenous people will be settled there.

    Does it mean that those who were living there were foreigners?” he asked.

    Ruling BJP MLA Padma Hazarika, who is heading a committee to lead the agricultural initiatives in Garukheti, urged Islam not to derail the main issue as the project was meant for the greater welfare of the society.

  • Assam budget: Govt to provide financial help to families of coronavirus victims

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The Assam government will provide one-time financial assistance of Rs 1 lakh to families of people who have died of COVID-19, State Finance Minister Ajanta Neog said on Friday.

    Presenting the budget for 2021-22 in the assembly, Neog claimed this is a first-of-its-kind scheme by any government in the country.

    The state government had already announced the ‘Chief Minister Shishu Seva Scheme’ for children who lost their parents due to coronavirus and the ‘Chief Minister COVID-19 Widow Support Scheme’ for widows.

    Under the scheme for children, an amount of Rs 3,500 will be provided per child each month.

    For those below 10 years who may not have an extended family or guardian, the Assam government will take steps to house them in child care institutions and provide adequate funding towards their upkeep and education.

    In the other scheme, each widow is eligible for a one-time grant of Rs 2.5 lakh.

    The modalities for application and availing the benefit under the new schemes will be issued by the Health Department in due course, and the programmes will cost the exchequer around Rs 40 crore, the minister said.

    Altogether, 4,888 deaths of adults, including 1,345 females, due to COVID-19 have been reported in the state till July 13, Neog said.

    A total of 56 minors (less than 18 years of age) have also died due to the virus during the same period.

    She said 95,770 COVID-19 patients were provided free treatment along with food worth Rs 300 per day till June this year.

    “Total number of ICU beds has now been increased to 1,540, with approximately 1,099 ICU beds dedicated to COVID-19 patients.

    The number of oxygen supported beds has also been hiked to 3,855,” Neog added.

  • Assam govt tables Rs 566 crore deficit budget, proposes no new tax

    By PTI
    GUWAHATI: The Assam government on Friday presented a Rs 566 crore deficit budget for 2021-22 in the assembly, without proposing any new tax on the public.

    This is the first budget of the Himanta Biswa Sarma- led government.

    While reading out the budgetary proposals, Ajanta Neog, the first-ever woman finance minister of Assam, said that she is following the footsteps of her predecessor who had decided not to tax the public in his budgets.

    Sarma was the finance minister in the previous Sarbananda Sonowal government.

    “I too, with the aim of continuing this trend, would like to hereby place my budget without levying any extra tax on the public,” she said in the Assam Assembly.

    During the last fiscal, the Tax Department’s collection declined to Rs 14,645 crore from Rs 14,967 crore in the previous financial year due to “economic slowdown” on account of the COVID-19 pandemic, Neog said.

    Presenting the Budget estimates, she said the aggregate income has been calculated to be Rs 2,89,770.68 crore for 2021-22, while the total expenditure for the fiscal is estimated at Rs 2,89,367.10 crore.

    “Thus, estimated transactions during the year will result in an estimated surplus of Rs 403.58 crore.

    This, together with the opening deficit of Rs 969.78 crore will lead to a budget deficit of Rs 566.20 crore at the end of the year 2021-22,” she added.