Assuring the promised ‘parivartan’, the BJP Government in Assam on Tuesday tabled its maiden Budget in the Assam legislative Assembly which not only promised to develop the over 25,000 villages in the State but announced cash awards for those who gives information on bribe seekers as well as bribe givers in the Government.
Presenting the first Budget of the Government, State Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced that the Government will invest Rs 30,000 crore in next five years to uplift the villages by preparing a proper roadmap for development.
“A cash award of Rs 25,000 is announced to anyone whose information, evidence, mobile or video record leads to successful apprehension of bribe seeker and bribe givers in the Government,” Sarma said.
The Rs 2,880.91 crore deficit Budget for the year 2016-17 will invest the Rs 30,000 crore under Chief Minister’s Samagra Gramya Unnayan Yojana, which will cover all the 25,425 villages in Assam.
It may be mentioned here that the size of the Budget is
Rs 78,253.36 crore, of which total estimated plan expenditure is Rs 29,380.35 crore and the rest Rs 48,873.01 crore is estimated non plan expenditure.
“While the estimated State tax revenue during the current fiscal is estimated to be Rs 15,634.31 crore, estimated non-tax revenue will be Rs 5,846.52 crore. The State is expecting to receive Rs 18,938.27 crore as share of central taxes, Rs 20,246.46 crore as Plan grants and Rs 3,527.35 crore as non-Plan grants from the Centre,” said Sarma while tabling the Budget.
Sarma said that the Government plans to appoint 12,000 TET teachers initially and then another 5,000 TET teachers in the Government jobs by April next year. “We plan to make the 200 beded cancer hospital in Guwahati Medical College and Hospital operational followed by cancer wings in Government medical colleges in Jorhat, Tezpur, Silchar and Barpeta with advanced facilities in phased manner,” he said.
The Budget also introduced schemes to guarantee compensation of wages for temporary pregnant workers in tea gardens for six months so that they need not work during the crucial days to earn their livelihood, he said.
The Budget proposed to reduce or withdraw VAT on e-rickshaw, candle, citronella oil, gur, jaggery, rub gur, tamarind, khandsari, baby feeding bottles and nipples, kerosene stoves and their parts, packaged drinking water and locally produced ‘mekhela chador’.
The Budget also proposed that bamboo based industries in small scale and medium scale should be exempted from VAT for three years. The Budget also raised the exemption limit of agricultural income tax upto Rs 2.5 lakh from the present limit of Rs 1 lakh for small tea growers.
The Budget also proposed to reduce taxes on some other segments like entry tax on hospital equipments, specified land cess for small tea growers, service charge for cinema halls, amusement tax for cable TV owners, canteen stores department and Central police canteens.
However, the Budget proposed to raise the VAT on bitumen, imported gold ornaments, furnace oil, mobile phones priced more than Rs 5,000 and cigarettes along with some other items.
He said that the Budget has also increased the reservation for women from 30 per cent to 35 per cent in all Government jobs.
Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal said the Budget presented on the floor of the House has been prepared in consultations with people, trade unions, economists and members of the Opposition. “It’s a participatory Budget wherein views and opinions of all sections of people have been incorporated to make it all encompassing,” he said.