Assam budget:FM announces financial assistance to 2 lakh youths

Assam Finance minister Ajanta Neog on Thursday tabled the budget of Rs 935 crore for the financial year 2023-24, with the aim of increasing self-employment avenues for youths in the state for 2023-24 in the assembly with emphasize on the social security. She said that in the current budget, an amount of Rs 5000 crore has been earmarked to provide financial help to 200,000 unemployed youths to set up industries and become job creators. Neog stated that the aggregate receipts for 2022-23 were Rs 321,742 crore, while the aggregate expenditure is estimated at Rs 321,081 crore– resulting in a surplus of nearly Rs 661 crore for the financial year 2023-24. This, together with the opening deficit of Rs 1596 crore, will lead to a budget deficit of Rs 935 crore at the end of the year 2023-24,” she added.

The state finance minister further said that there would be no new taxes introduced in the budget and proposed an exemption of electricity duty on renewable energy generation and an extension of the tax holiday on agricultural income tax for three more years. Ms. Neog promised to start Mukhya Mantri Ayushman Asom Yojana in the state. The scheme will enable 27 lakh families to avail 5 lakh rupees worth of cashless treatment, making it the largest health insurance scheme in the country.  “42,000 youths have already been given jobs. The process to recruit 18,000 more is underway, and another 40,000 youths would get jobs by May 10– when the state government completes two years,” Neog said. This will be a step towards fulfilling the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) poll promise of giving one lakh government jobs, she added.
The government also announced to launch of Mukhya Mantri Awaas Yojana, in line of PM Awas Yojna. In the year 2023-24, one lakh beneficiaries will be covered under this scheme, and 800 crore rupees have been allocated towards this. The Finance minister proposed to set up 3000 new Model Anganwadi Centres with all modern facilities. 
A total of 77 ITIs and Polytechnics will be upgraded as the Centres of Excellence with a cost of 367 crore rupees. The Assam government proposed to implement a scheme to promote micro-entrepreneurs for creating self-employment opportunities among the unemployed youths belonging to BPL families and low-income households. Praising the budget presented by finance minister Neog, chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that this budget will strengthen the foundations of our developmental trajectory and will make our state a major contributor to national growth.