Urban poor will get cooked lunch daily STAFF REPORTER
GUWAHATI: The Assam Budget (2021-22) aims at the uplift of primarily the middle-class people and the poor, said Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Reacting to the maiden Budget presented by the first woman Finance Minister of the State — Ajanta Neog — on the fifth day of the Assam Assembly on Friday, Chief Minister Sarma told reporters, "The prime aim of the present Budget is to serve the 'Daridra Narayan' (the poor section of society). Middle-class families will also be benefitted as there are no additional tax proposals. In a first-ever welfare scheme in the State, even the urban poor will get cooked lunch daily."
The Chief Minister added, "The Orunodoi Scheme will cover 5,000 additional women beneficiaries in each LAC (Legislative Assembly Constituency). The assistance will be increased to Rs 1,000 instead of the earlier amount of Rs 830 monthly."
The Chief Minister added, "The government will set up 1,000 new hospitals and five medical colleges & hospitals across the State. This is a far-sighted move of Finance Minister Ajanta Neog.
"The new Budget further aims at empowering 8 lakh school students with smart mobile phones having Internet connections. This will help the students hailing from economically backward families to pursue their studies online and gain knowledge in various ways during the present pandemic times.
"Two prime pre-poll 2021 Assembly promises of the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) were waiver of MFI (Micro Finance Institution) loans of the women borrowers and the creation of 1 lakh government jobs for unemployed youths.
The Chief Minister further said, "There are several provisions for generation of revenue. We seek blessings from the people so that we can implement the Budget proposals for the development of the State. I also urge the Ministers to concentrate on implementing the schemes announced in the State Budget.
Later in the evening, the CM said in a series of tweets, "For many years, women of rural Assam bore the burden of mounting debt of microfinance loans. As promised in our poll manifesto, we announced our flagship 3-tier Assam Microfinance Incentive & Relief Scheme 2021 to free our mothers & sisters from the shackles of indebtedness. We firmly believe in delivering on our poll promises and will remain steadfast in providing 1 lakh government jobs to the youths of Assam.
"This #AssamBudget2021 will pave the way for filling up the vacant posts in 48 departments and creating 10 new police battalions in the State."
CM Sarma pointed out in another tweet, "The #AssamBudget2021 is an embodiment of our promise to fulfil the aspirations of every Assamese. I commend my colleague Smt @AjantaNeog for her unwavering commitment to uplift every section of our society through this Budget and boost the double-engine of development.
"This pro-poor #AssamBudget2021 will greatly strengthen the #COVID19-ravaged economy of Assam. Many paths breaking initiatives in the budget will also drive economic revival post-pandemic & help realize Adarniya PM Shri @narendramodiji's dream of #AtmanirbharBharat."
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