July 16, 2021: Assam Finance Minister Ajanta Neog presented a Budget focused on farmers, COVID widows, students, infrastructure, sports, culture, zoos and healthcare.

The Finance Department has been given the maximum allocation of Rs 18037.70 crore followed by Rs 9,389 crore. The Public Works (Roads) Department has been given Rs 8,583 crore. The Health Department would get Rs 7,004 crore for the financial year 2021-22.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma congratulated FM Neog for presenting a zero tax Budget and said that the Budget is for the middle class as not a single tax has been imposed or increased in the Budget despite the fact the economy has been hit by the Covid pandemic.

Some of the key announcements of FM Neog’s maiden Budget include proposal to set up 5 more medical colleges in Tamulpur, Golaghat, Morigaon, Dhemaji and Bongaigaon. Thousand 1,000 sub centers. Healthcare units will be converted to Buniyadi Swasthya Kendra (BSK) where free medical consultation, diagnostics test, medical treatment of primary diseases including diabetes, hypertension, asthma, and communicable diseases shall be provided.

“A financial assistance to the families not covered under Chief Minister’s Shishu Seva Scheme or Chief Minister’s COVID-19 Widow Support Scheme, an amount of ₹ 1 lakh shall be provided to the next of kin of a Covid-19 victim,” FM Neog said in her Budget speech.

A new district would be created in Tamulpur. This will take the total number of districts in Assam to 35.

The Assam government announced a unique social welfare scheme of serving cooked meal to urban destitutes and daily wage earners who might not be having provisions for daily meals. “People left out from the National Food Security Act, 2013 in the urban areas like destitute, homeless who live by begging or those who are of an unsound mind living in the slum areas on the road-sides, we will provide free cooked meals with the help of reputed NGOs,” FM Neog said.

The Budget also announced smart phones for Class IX and X students studying in government schools to help them during these times when education is happening online. The allocation for the education sector includes Rs 9389.54 crore for Elementary Education Department, Rs 2612.81 crore for Higher Education Department, Rs 5131.51 crore for Secondary Education Department and Rs 410.17 crore for Technical Education Department.

The Industries and Commerce Department got Rs 222.55 crore for 2021-22. Reacting to the Budget announcements, CII North East Council Chairman Abhijit Barua said that the industry is not enthused and the allocations for the sector were not enough. Moreover, there is nothing new in the Budget for MSMEs.

MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENTS 2021-22

I.             Formation of new district in Tamulpur

II.            Chief Minister’s Sishu Seva Scheme

III.           Chief Minister’s COVID-19 Widows Support Scheme

IV.          Assam Cultural Complex in New Delhi

V.            Making Guwahati Hills encroachment Free

VI.          Forest areas to be made settlements free

VII.         New Medical colleges in Golaghat, Morigaon, Bongaigaon, Tamulpur, Dhemaji

VIII.        Setting up of 10 Commando Battalions

IX.           Public Spaces in open area in urban areas

X.            District Stadium Complexes

XI.           New Zoo at Dibrugarh and Silchar

XII.         APOL - VRS to employees

XIII.        Sivasagar – Conservation of Heritage