OUR CORRESPONDENT
KOKRAJHAR: Chief Executive Member (CEM) of BTC Pramod Boro who is also the in-charge of Finance department has presented the normal budget of Rs 843 crore for the financial year 2025-26 on the first day of BTC Budget Session today at BTC Legislative Assembly. Of the 40 departments, the Transformation and Development department has the highest allocation of funds amounting to Rs 126.27 crore followed by Education with an amount of Rs 105.05 crore and Health amounting to Rs 47.74 crore while the department of Lottery was allocated the least with an amount of Rs 1 lakh followed by Excise-15 lakhs and Legal Metrology-35 lakhs respectively.
In his budget speech, Pramod Boro said that the normal budget of Bodoland Territorial Council for the financial year 2025-26 was presented to the House of BTCLA highlighting that the present government had been working diligently towards achieving a financial best practice in the council which is grounded on transparency and accountability as per norms stipulated by the Principal Accountant General of Assam. The normal budget has been prepared by incorporating the SOPD grants amount against the provision made in the State Budget for BTC as grants along with the BTC’s own source of estimated Revenue Receipts and Expenditures, he said, adding that the budget estimate amounts for the entrusted departments were provided according to the sectoral allocation issued by the Transformation and Development (T&D) Department.
Meanwhile, talking to reporters, Leader of Opposition Derhasat Basumatary said that they were not satisfied with the budget presented by CEM Pramod Boro. He said that the BTC should have received 12.19 pc of the state’s budget with annual enhancement from the state every year but instead of enhancing the fund, it is going down. He said that the annual maintenance budget, material components were available now other than just a token budget to some departments. He also said that the 50:50 proportionate budget of the Central and State was also not maintained. The CEM is simply claiming tall on the budget prepared by the officer but himself is not aware of a comprehensive budget, he said, adding that no specific budget for releasing arrears of the employees was seen. This budget is not an overall satisfactory budget, he added.
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