Maiden e-budget with Rs 2149.04 Cr deficit & no fresh tax presented

BUDGET 2018-19

Maximum thrust on education, health & urban living

Budget to bring benefits & bonza for all, says Himanta

BY OUR STAFF REPORTER 

GUWAHATI, March 12: Assam Fince Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Monday presented the State’s first e-budget with a deficit of Rs 2149.04 Crore in the Assembly without proposing any fresh tax proposal and laying maximum thrusts on education, health, human resource development and urban living.  

The budget for the fincial year 2018-19 according to Sarma will bring benefits and bonza for all sections of people in the State. 

The budget was presented in both hard copy format and in the digital format in tablet computer to the legislators in the Assembly. “We have taken great steps in making this budget future ready, citizen friendly and all embracing through our e-budget model that has easy to use provisions of SDG (sustaible development goal), gender, child and elderly related,” Sarma said in his speech.

“The budget is not just holistic, aspiratiol and futuristic but also inclusive, participatory and versatile,” Sarma said at the beginning of his budget speech in the august House on Monday morning. He said the budget has not put new tax burden on the people by refraining from proposing any fresh direct tax proposal. 

Sarma said the State Government will explore various non-tax sources to garner revenue for the exchequer. He said such non-tax sources will have future revenue earning scope. 

“Sustaible development cannot be achieved without keeping a close eye on adequate generation of resources,” the Fince Minister said. He said even though the budget for 2018-19 has a surplus of Rs 999.99 Crore, it has become a deficit one due to the last budget’s deficit amount which stood at 3149 Crore. 

The total receipt of the budget (2018-19) will be Rs. 381688.26 Crore while total expenditures stand at Rs. 380688.27 Crore. 

To augment revenue for the State exchequer the budget has explored non tax sources such as increase of the tender fee for contractors. The fince minister has proposed to increase the tender fee from Rs 8.25 to Rs 100 for tenders up to Rs 20 lakh and Rs 500 for tenders beyond Rs 20 Lakh. Registration fee of PWD contractors has been enhanced from Rs 500 to Rs 15,000 and Rs 1000 to Rs 1,00,000.

The budget proposed a levy of electricity duty at 5 per cent on ad-valorem basis and one per cent increase on stamp duty registration fee for transactions in immovable properties.  

Regarding relief to small tea growers, Sarma proposed to exempt specified land cess on green tea leaves. In the previous two budgets, the cess had been reduced from 25 paise to 10 paise per kg green tea leaf in two phases. The budget has also proposed to raise income tax exemption limit for agriculture income from Rs 1 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh. 

BUDGET ALLOCATION 

* Education: Rs 11,573 Crore

* Panchayat & Rural Development: Rs 5808 Crore 

* Health: Rs 5082 Crore

* PWD (Road): Rs 4529 Crore

* Power: Rs 2702 Crore 

* Guwahati Development Department: Rs 1515 Crore

* Industry: Rs 839 Crore

* Water Resource: Rs 824 Crore 

* PWD (NH/Building): Rs 469 Crore

WHAT’S THERE IN BUDGET 

* Altogether 92 per cent of Assam’s population to be covered under the cashless medical treatment scheme 

* Government to deposit 25 per cent of outstanding bank loan amount of farmers subject to a maximum limit of 25,000 in each such loan account

*Rs 980 crore for massive improvement of infrastructures of schools 

*Pension scheme of Rs 250 per month for each and every senior citizen of the State

*Pension for unmarried daughters of pensioners 

*Annual stipend of Rs 600 to girls whose family income is less than Rs 5 lakh annually 

*The upper age limit for entry into Grade III and Grade IV jobs in State Government will be 44 years

*An annual scholarship of Rs. 2,000, Rs. 4,000, Rs. 6,000, Rs. 10,000 for girl students belonging to minority community studying in Class X, XI, XII, graduation & post-graduation respectively

*Government to provide an additiol 15 per cent of the basic salary as fincial incentive over and above their regular salaries to constables & officials up to the rank of SP, Vigilance, Crimil Investigation Department & Anti- Corruption, CM’s Special Vigilance Cell and Bureau of Investigation of Economic Offences, to boost up their morale in fight against corruption 

*Rs 100 Crore to convert all government institutions, schools, hospitals and street lights to LED

*Rs 20 Crore to construct paver block roads along the labour lines in all the tea gardens in Assam

*Rs. 99 crore for payment of outstanding PF dues, gratuity, arrear wages, salary, bonus, etc. of retired worker, sub staff and staff to Assam Tea Corporation

*Increase the salary allowances of Anganwadi workers and ASHA workers by Rs. 1000 and of Anganwadi Helpers by Rs. 500

*A new medical college in Karimganj

*Ten new government law colleges in Dhubri, lbari, Rangia, gaon, Diphu, Jorhat, Dibrugarh, Tezpur, Silchar and North Lakhimpur

*Ten new B.Ed. colleges at Karbi Anglong (West), Bongaigaon, Baksa, lbari, Kamrup, Morigaon, Dima Hasao, Sivsagar, Biswath and North Lakhimpur.