Mixed reactions to State Budget presented by Himanta Biswa Sarma

A Correspondent

DIBRUGARH: The Assam Budget 2019, presented in the Legislative Assembly on Wednesday, has evoked several reactions from the people. While many people are hailing the provisions of the budget, others said that some provisions could have been made more inclusive. Speaking to The Sentinel, teacher of Tantia Higher Secondary School, Mridul Bharali said, “I’m quite happy with the budget. Being a teacher, certain provisions relating to education, especially the ones which aim to help the poor and the marginalized fulfil their educational needs, have interested me. The attempt to provide free coaching to the aspirants of UPSC and APSC is also praiseworthy and will go a long way in enabling talented individuals to get into civil services. Offering scholarships to the deprived girls of the minority community is another nice feature of this budget.”

Senior journalist Ikbal Ahmed too expressed his views on the budget and held it to be a people’s budget as well as one probably driven by the upcoming elections to a degree. He thanked the government for continuing with the provision of pension for the journalists, but at the same time suggested that the base of the beneficiary be widened. Welcoming the decision to set up a Development Corporation for the development of the indigenous Muslims, he said that it would allay many apprehension of the community.

Ahmed also praised the provision of offering battery-operated bikes to the girls securing first division and above in Class XII, but at the same time pointed out the need for better roads to accommodate the increase in traffic to be brought about by it. Considering the provision of reserving two seats in the medical colleges of Assam for the students of the NE States not having a medical college a nice gesture, he hoped that the endeavour would give a further boost to the State’s ties with its six sisters and one brother.

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